


Through Someone Else's Eyes

by LiliumReverie



Series: Through Someone Else's Eyes [1]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 01:05:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 35,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11612733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiliumReverie/pseuds/LiliumReverie
Summary: I don't know my birth name. I don't know what day I was born. I don't know who my parents are; I can only assume why they abandoned me. Call me what you will, a freak, a demon, a mutant, a monster. I can only hide so much of who - or what - I am, regardless of why I am this way. You can't change me. Believe me, I've tried.





	1. I

_Gravel. I assume that is what I'm laying on. I must have passed out. I hope no one can see me... The air is freezing, and my leg is exceptionally cold - and wet? Oh shit, it's_ _bleeding. Like a lot. There's a giant gash in my upper thigh. Please tell me it wasn't a fight!_  
  
         As I assessed the wound, I had to bite back a scream. It began to bleed more. My hands were shaking as I tore off a lengthy piece of my shirt and tied it tightly around my thigh as a crappy alternative to gauze. It continued to bleed, but it slowed a bit. I attempted to stand, but my leg gave out before I could balance myself.  The pain was excruciating, but I stood again. One foot in front of the other, I began to walk, feeling somewhat childlike in the process of learning. Just as I was getting used to it, I tripped over something. Something heavy. My fingers brushed along the object, checking for signs to what it may be.

        And then I could see.

        I could see his mother smiling gently at him, holding him in her loving arms. I could see him stumbling towards nothing as he took his first steps. I could see his father beating him as a child, crying out each time his father struck him. I could see his first kiss, her eyes a sparkling blue under the afternoon sun. I could see his friends reaching for the basketball as he passed it towards his teammate. I could see his high school principal hand him his diploma. I could see the eviction notice hanging on his apartment door. I could see him smoking pot behind his old elementary school. I could see him grab the arm of a frightened girl in a dark alleyway. I could see him get on top of her to pin her to the ground. I could see her eyes.. Or where they should have been. Her sockets were empty, but tears streamed down her face. Then his blood replaced them. 

        That was his final memory.

        I sat alone in the darkness of the alley, sobbing into the boy's chest; tears filling the cavity that used to hold his heart. I hated myself for it. For what I was - or am. All I wanted to do in that moment is scream. They were right, I'll never be more than a freak. A monster. 

        After what felt like hours, I started to run. I was terrified of myself, and since I couldn't run from that, I ran away from the rest of the world, just hoping I ended up somewhere I couldn't hurt people.

* * *

  
        Eventually the air shifted from the stench of the alley into air that felt cleaner. I knelt to sample to soil; of which the texture reminded me of wood chips and moistened dirt (possibly moss?). I reached out and explored the setting tangibly, and found myself surrounded by trees. Coming to the conclusion that I was in some sort of woods, I pushed further in, cautious of my step. Still I tripped several times; turns out the woods is not the most comfortable terrain for blind people. I didn't actually have a plan. I had no idea where I was going, I just wanted to get there. I just wanted to be alone.  

        I heard a twig snap behind me. Frantically, I shut my "eyes" before they could see my charming little absence, and used theirs. I could see myself about ten feet away from my vantage point. Their line of vision about matched my own.  
  
         _It's human._  
  
        Suddenly, I appeared closer and closer. They were sprinting towards me. I screamed and ran as fast as I could. In my frenzied state, I lost connection with their eyes, but I didn't realize I was running blind until I tripped over something. I quickly reconnected vision, and saw the person was standing right over me. 

        "What do you want?" I cried out. He responded only with his sickening, psychotic laughter. I watched his hand rise to his lips, holding a large kitchen knife, the blade already painted with dry blood. I kept my eyes shut tightly, trying to hold back tears.   
  
         _Will this suffering never end?  
  
        _ "What do I want?" he repeated slyly. He laughed again. "I want to make you beautiful!" He roughly lifted my chin to face him. I kept my eyes closed and tried to turn away, but he held his grip. "Very pretty. Very,  _very_ pretty!" he cooed. "But I can make you look  _beautiful._ Wouldn't you like that, little girl?" 

        "Please. Just leave me alone!" I sobbed. "I don't want to hurt you!"

        "Then this will be a very easy kill," he said, twirling the knife in his hand, "but not nearly as fun." Forcefully, he pulled me up by my hair, ripping a chunk of it out. "Looks like I'll have to make my own." With one abrupt motion, he shoved me up against a tree. He proceeded to caress my jawline with the flat side of his blade, leaning his body into mine. I whimpered at his touch, losing faith in my ability to fight back tears. 

        "Shut up!" he spat. "Your pathetic whining is no longer amusing." He promptly carved into the side of my face from my ear to the corner of my mouth. I screamed, compelling him to slap me hard right where he had cut me. 

        "Stupid bitch!" he hissed. "You should be grateful! After I'm finished, you may finally be presentable." I struggled against him, trying my best to turn away, but he forced me to face him. "Look me in the eye, you fucking whore!"  
  
         _If you insist._  
  
        My eyelids flew open, and in his shock, he let go of my face. Given the opportunity, I snatched his knife, kicked his foot from underneath him, and struck his throat with the heel of my hand, causing him to fall flat on his back. When he tried to get up, I firmly panted my foot into his chest. I leaned over and held his knife to his throat.

        "Stay down." I warned as he gasped for air. "Don't make me do something I will regret."

        "Whatever helps you sleep at night!" he laughed condescendingly. "As a matter of fact..." He paused for a moment to glance behind me, allowing me to make out only a tall figure I had - at the time - mistaken for a tree. He laughed to himself, "Go to sleep."

        There was static for a moment, then everything went black. 


	2. II

        "She pissed me off! What's the hell is the big deal?" 

        "We don't hurt our kind. You can't just get  _carried away._ "

        "What makes you think she's 'our kind?'"

        "Well, first off, she kicked your ass." 

        "I just let her  _think_  she was winning, but good ol' Slendy here interrupted my plan."

        "Yeah, sure, whatever you say, sweetheart."

        "Hey, fuck you, asshat!" 

        "Everyone, shut the hell up, I think she's waking up."  
  
    I sat up and examined what seemed to be sheets beneath me. Instinctively, I opened my eyes, but snapped them shut the instant I heard a few exclamations.   
  
_**It's okay, you needn't be afraid.**    
  
        Did I just hear that in my head?  
  
         **Yes, you did.**  
  
        _ "What the fuck is happening?!" I shrieked. I heard a few giggles in response.  
  
**_Calm down, Miss, it's alright. You are safe with us._**  
  
  
  
        I attempted to vision sync with the voice, but I found none.  
  
  
  
**_You cannot use my eyes, because I have none. Don't worry, I am an animate, living creature. I am directly in front of the bed you are on. Reach out and touch me. Don't be afraid._**  
  
  
 I did as I was told. His hand was already was already held out to receive mine; his fingers felt lanky and somewhat skeletal. With my other hand, I reached to touch his face, but found only his lean torso. I rose to my knees, but he was still too tall for me to do more than brush my fingers long his collarbone. He sensed this, and leaned over to grant me access to his face. As promised, there were no eyes, or any other prominent facial features of any kind. He lacked a face entirely, with the exception of his protruding cheek bones and some light divots where his eyes would be.

        "What is she doing?" the voice of a little girl giggled.  
  
  
**You must have many questions.**

_Only a million._

_**Please allow me to opportunity to answer a few. You are currently in Slender Mansion, a home for creepypastas outside of the mortal world. With me now, I have a handful of the residents. They are not telepathic like you nor I, so they cannot hear us. As I am sure you have already discovered, you may speak telepathically to them whenever you'd like.** _

_I wouldn't know if I had that ability. I have never tried such a thing._

_**Interesting. I know you succeeded in speaking telepathically to Jeff. You did not know?** _

_Is that the asshole who attacked me?_

_**Unfortunately, yes.** _

_Did you send him?_

**_He was instructed not to harm you. Rest assured that his behavior will not go unpunished._ **

        "Who else is here?" I asked aloud.

        "Hello, Miss!" the little girl sang. "My name's Sally!" I nodded in response and attempted to vision-sync to her, but the was staring at some sort of stuffed bear. Not incredibly helpful.

        "I'm BEN." the voice of a teen boy spoke. I vision-synced to him to see he briefly assessed me, then promptly pointed his eyes down to some sort of... hand-held... machinery. As perplexed as I was, I dismissed it for the moment and disconnected until I heard the next voice.

        I heard someone clear their throat dramatically. "I am Eyeless Jack, and you are anatomically  _flawless."_  I couldn't help but laugh at that for obvious reasons. "Hey, eyes aren't a necessity, babe. I should know."

        "Yeah, okay." I smiled.

        "Easy for you to say, dumbass, you can still see." I recognized his voice immediately. 

        "You must be Jeff! Nice to finally get a proper introduction. I'm the 'stupid bitch' who handed your ass to you  _blind."_  I sneered.

        He must have lunged at me or something, because it sounded as if he was getting dragged out of the room as others shouted at him to calm down.

_**I apologize for allowing him in here in the first place, Miss. As you can tell, he has a very short temper. Though I suppose your remark could be considered impolite-** _

_He slit my cheek with a kitchen knife._

_**I was going to say it was well deserved. I will leave you to Eyeless Jack. He will properly dress your wounds. After that you are free to rest or explore the house as you wish.** _

_Thank you, Slenderman._

_**Of course, Miss.** _

       With that, he simply vanished. I could no longer sense his presence, and the absence of remarks on the issue led me to believe it was a common phenomenon. Others sounded as if they shuffled out of the room. 

        "Eyeless Jack?" I called out, "Are you still here?"

        "Right here." he replied, taking my hand in his to guide me out of bed. "You can't see at all?"

        "Not technically, but that just makes it easier to sense the more important things." We walked several feet and turned into a room with tile floor. He sat me down on a ledge of porcelain, which I assume was the side of a bathtub. "Can you see,  _Eyeless_ Jack?" I teased.

        "Yep. It's a demon thing, I guess." he said with a smile in his voice. He untied the shred of cloth on my thigh. "This may sting a bit." I felt him place a wet towel on the gash; I cringed at the pain. He muttered a brief apology, but focused on cleaning it. I was just thankful he wasn't asking any questions as to where I got it.

        "May I try something?" I asked tentatively.

        "Can I trust you?" he laughed, finishing the bandaging on my leg.

        I thought on that for a second. _I_  didn't even trust me. "Yes, I think so."

        "Then have at it." I reached to touch his face, which felt as if it was covered in plaster. "Oh, that's just my mask," he explained. "Here." He removed the mask from his face. I tried again, this time to find smooth skin on his narrow jawline, and chapped, thin lips. As I moved my fingers towards his "eyes", they were greeted by a warm, thick liquid, causing me to gasp with concern.

        "It's okay!" he reassured me, resting his hands on my own as if to console my worried fingers as they explored his face. "Another demon thing." I relaxed a little. "Do you have any abilities, or did Slender just pick you up for being pretty?" 

        I smiled shyly. "When I was little, I figured out that I could see through other people's eyes. I call it vision-syncing."

        "That's kind of awesome. I just like to eat people's kidneys." He doused my cheek in peroxide and dabbed it dry.

        "That's kind of awesome." I quipped. 

        "I guess." he laughed. "Do you think you could vision-sync to me? Or do you need actual eyes for that?"

        "I don't know," I wondered aloud. "I could try.. Wait, do you mind me getting inside you?"

        "Just because you're new, I'll hold back the sexual jokes..  _For now."_  

        I giggled before proceeding to vision-sync. I knew it worked because I was gazing at my own breasts.

        "You're quite the Casanova, aren't you, Mr. Eyeless?"

        He chuckled nervously, "I take it you were successful."

        "I was indeed. Would you mind looking into a mirror? I know what my rack looks like already."

        "You sure you don't need a closer look at them? You know, for scientific purposes?"

        "I'm good, thanks."

        "Okay then." He turned to look into the bathroom mirror. "Semi-decent view?" he flirted. 

        "Not bad." I allowed. I knew I would only see his perception of himself, but I took in the view anyway. I examined his bluish-gray skin and boyish features, taking in his messy, college boy vibe. The substance that fell from his eye sockets was black, and his hair was brown and unkempt. He was kind of a mess, but overall not an unattractive guy. 

        "Thanks. Now I can put a face to the pubescent remarks." I teased.

        "My pleasure." he smiled, slightly blushing.

        "Are her wounds clean?" I heard Jeff demand coolly, appearing in the doorway. When Jack turned to face him, I got my chance to size up the bastard. He had a self-inflicted Cheshire grin, which is why I believe he cut me similarly, like it was his trademark or something. His pupils were microscopic in comparison to the whites of his eyes; his eyelids were burnt black to create his never-blinking gaze. His skin was white and leathery, and his hair long, fine, and dark. Truly the face of a psychotic killer.  

        "Jeffery!" I cheered sarcastically. "How wonderful it is to see you!"

        "Stupid choice of words, cripple." he sneered, readjusting his white sweatshirt.

        "You fixed your hood as you said the word 'choice.'" I challenged.

        "She calls it vision-syncing. She can see you through my eyes." Jack explained with a smirk. "And she's all fixed up."

        "Well congratulations." he scoffed, turning to leave. "Food is downstairs when you want it."

_Thanks for stopping by, Jeffery._

        "And stay the hell out of my head!" he shouted from the hallway.


	3. III

        I followed Eyeless Jack downstairs to find several people scattered around the room. My sights landed first on the little girl, who appeared just as innocent as she sounded. She happily toyed with the stuffed bear from earlier that night. I heard her call it "Charlie". 

_Is it normal human behavior to personify an inanimate object? Or does the bear actually respond?_

_**She is but a child. It is very normal for a girl of her age.** _

        I jolted a bit at the sound of Slenderman's voice in my head. 

_**I am sorry, Miss. I did not mean to frighten you.** _

_It's okay, just not quite used to it yet._

_**I would get a bell if I could. Do not hesitate to meet the others. They will be kinder than Jeff, I promise.** _

_Thank you, Slenderman._

        With that, I turned to Jack, who had been eyeing the kidneys on the dining table for a minute. I disconnected my vision.

        "You are free to eat, Eyeless Jack. I appreciate you granting me your vision, but I can figure it out from here.

        "You sure?" he offered politely. 

        "I'll be fine, thank you. Go eat some organs."

        Without a second thought, he bolted towards the kidneys. I laughed for a moment before exploring the room. When I extended my fingers, they found a plushy sofa, and when I reached a little further, someone's head. I pulled back instantly and muttered a brief apology. 

        "You're good, um..." BEN's voice trailed off. "I don't know what to call you. What is your name?"

        "I don't have one." I admitted softly. 

        "You know, I  _would_  ask, but I'm sure you've got your reasons." he assumed respectfully. "Maybe you should just choose one."

        "Umm.." 

        "You don't have to choose right now. Just get back to me on it when you do, okay?"

        I nodded and smiled faintly. Using the sofa as leverage, I moved on to explore new things. Suddenly, I felt a large pair of hands come down hard on my shoulders. I screamed and pulled their foot from underneath them with my own. They fell on their back, and as I instinctively stood over them ready to strike, I heard them start laughing hysterically. 

        "I love a girl with a little fight in them!" He continued to laugh. 

        "Don't mind him. He's insane." a girl said passively. "I'm Jane."

        "Thanks. Who is that?"

        "That's Laughing Jack. He wouldn't hurt you, he was just joking around."

        "Oh, okay." My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 

        "Sorry, sweetie," Laughing Jack said, shuffling to his feet. "That was fun. Let's do it again sometime."

        "Yeah, let's not." I warned. He wrapped his arms around me anyway. 

        "You can call me LJ. Nice to meet you, beautiful." He kissed me on both cheeks as I just sort of stood there dumbly.

        He bowed his face closely into mine. "Are you okay? You seem nervous."

        "Not nervous, just mildly overwhelmed."

        "No sweat, Dollface. You're safe with me." He popped a piece of candy in my mouth with a little bit of force. "Don't worry. My special candy is only for the ones who aren't so sweet, if you catch my drift." I didn't, but I nodded anyway. He gave me one more peck on the cheek before running off.

        I went ahead and vision-synced to him just to occupy my time. He was headed to the kitchen where a big bowl of sweets was waiting for him. I made my way to the table just to check it out. It seemed like there was a different diet for each person. Kidneys for Eyeless, candy for LJ, pizza for BEN, average homemade food for Sally, and cheesecake for the two boys devouring it, I guess. If I had been feeling more courageous, I might have introduced myself, but they looked a little too creepy to me. I decided instead to ask Slenderman a few more questions. I didn't even bother trying to find him. I just concentrated on doing that whole telepathy thing. 

_How do you do this? Do I need some sort of antenna? Maybe if I lift my arm over my head..._

_**I'm right behind you, Miss. There's no need for an antenna.** _

        I could feel my cheeks getting hot; I felt so foolish.

**_No need to feel that way, Miss. It may take some time, but you'll get the hang of it. What was it you wanted to ask me?_ **

_Thanks. So, I know you said this is like a home for creepypastas..._

**Yes.**

_But what exactly are creepypastas?_

**_Creepypastas are horror stories. We are merely the subjects of those stories. We can be anything from monsters to psychotic killers to victims of trauma. We live outside of the mortal world to escape adversity or.. consequences in some cases._  **

_Why did you bring me here? I was under the impression I was human._

**_You are. Quite a few of us are. However, you are not safe in the mortal world. You often were put in harm's way for your differences and ran the risk of being captured for your power. I felt it only right to bring you to safety._ **

_How do you know all of this about me?_

_**I've watched you for the past several years. I would have taken you in sooner, but you seemed so desperate to be one of them. Unlike most of us, you tried so hard not to hurt people. I did not feel right taking that from you. I wanted to let you figure it out on your own, or possibly prove me wrong. Part of me hoped that you would; that the humans would accept you, but they didn't. Once you started killing in self-defense, I thought you had let go of that hope of being normal, but I could clearly see it how it pained you. That's when I had to save you from it. Thinking about it now, I should probably apologize for being so forward with you, but I've known you for so long now, I had forgotten you do not yet know me. I hope you find solace in living with us. If you don't, I will allow you to leave, but please try.**_        
  
        A single tear rolled down my cheek as I heard this. So many emotions swam through me. I knew if I spoke, I would burst, so I just nodded. 

**_I truly do apologize, Miss. I understand if you feel I have overstepped._ **

        I shook my head. Taking a breath first, I attempted to string the words together, but I started to cry. He lifted me bridal style, and the next thing I knew, we were outside. I filled my lungs with the fresh air and wiped the tears from my face, but they continued to fall.

**_Please tell me what you're thinking._ **

_I thought you could hear what I think._

_**I want to hear it from you. Please.** _

I took another deep breath.

_I don't know if I can explain it. It's just an overwhelming relief to know someone could see what I was going through - what I go through. I guess I could say I'm somewhat grateful. But this is all so crazy. I'm afraid._

        He put a hand on my shoulder. 

**_I promise you, Miss, you are safe with us here. I won't let anyone hurt you._ **

        The tears came down hard at that point. Without even thinking, I just fell into his arms, consumed by the need to be held. I could tell he had no idea what to do with this; his body tensed at the impact, but he relaxed and wrapped his giant arms around me. We sat like this quietly for a while, as he stroked my hair and rested his cheek on the back of my head. Whether he enjoyed it or if he just knew I needed it, I was grateful. I just felt safer in his arms. When I felt I had calmed down, I lifted my head from his chest to face him. 

_Where can I sleep? I know that there are many people in this house. You know I would hate to be a burden._

_**Nonsense. There has been a room waiting for you for years. You found yourself in your own bed earlier this evening.** _

_Thank you, Slenderman. For everything._

**_Anything for you, Miss. However, I might have to require a name from you._ **

        I thought about it for a moment. When I was a child, a newspaper article referred to me as "The Reverie", because I was like a "nightmare in broad daylight." It stuck with me. It hurt for a while, but it grew on me. 

_Reverie. That is the name I choose._

        He graced my skin with the side of his hand, brushing a lock of hair from my face.

_Almost as beautiful as the girl who wears it._

* * *

        That night, I woke in a cold sweat from a night terror. I used to get them a lot when I was younger, but this one was severe. In my dream, I was curled up on the cold, hard ground, surrounded by humans, holding bloody eyeballs in the palms of their hands. They seemed to taunt me, but said nothing. They just laughed. It was as if all of the collective trauma and adversity I had faced in my life sounded off as one, maniac, shrieking cackle. I tried to shield myself from it by covering my ears and screaming over the horrific noise, but the resonating sound was still so clear even after I had awoken. I woke up in the same position from the sound of my own screaming. I heard the door burst open as I was attempting to catch my breath.

        "Who's there?" I demanded anxiously.

        "It's me, EJ. Are you okay?" He sounded alarmed, but genuinely concerned. 

        "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. Please forgive me." I sighed, concealing my face in my hands.

        "It's okay. I used to get them, too." he stretched a bit and turned to leave. "Do you need anything? Anything to help you sleep? I know it can really suck." I shook my head, trying my best to dismiss the issue and hoping he would just forget it ever happened.

        "Please be honest with me. I can help. You don't have to be ashamed; it's not your fault." He sat down next to me and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Let me help you."

        He was so sweet to me, and I felt horrible for waking him up. I figured it couldn't hurt to keep from doing it again. "What do you have?" I asked appreciatively. 

        "I have a little dreamless sleep elixir left over from when I got them. I guarantee it will help, but if you aren't comfortable with that, we can try something else."

        "I'm good with it if you really think it will help."

        "I'll be right back." He left for a moment, and returned rather quickly. "My room is right next to yours," he explained. "Here." he handed me a shot glass filled to the brim with a thick liquid. I downed it immediately, causing me to sputter a bit. He chuckled at that. "That should kick in pretty quickly." He was right; I could already feel myself drifting off. "Goodnight." he said, getting up and starting for the door.

        "Thank you, Jack." I called softly. 

        "Anytime." The door shut behind him.  


	4. IV

"Fucking spammer!" BEN shouted, relentlessly attentive to the television screen.  
        "You're just mad that I'm kicking your ass." Jeff teased.  
        "A victory that comes without any skill or strategy is hardly a victory."  
        "Your opinion, fucktard- hey! What the Hell?! You can't do that!"  
        "Don't fuck with the master of gaming, dipshit."  
        I sat next to BEN on the couch, studying the game arduously through his eyes. They called the activity "playing video games." Apparently it has been a highly popular pastime for decades. Who knew! I didn't fully understand it. The two avatars were just beating each other in senseless violence, creating a very real emotional reaction between the two boys.  
        "So, the objective is to kill the other character?"  
        "Yes, Reverie." BEN responded.  
        "In all games, or just this one?"  
        "In a lot of them, but not all."  
        I registered that and refocused on the game. "What happens when you win?"  
        "Nothing."  
        "But you get upset when you lose?"  
         _"Yes, Reverie."_ he said in exasperation.  
         I sat quietly for a moment. "This whole thing just sounds rather counterproductive to me."  
        "Dude, I like you, but please, for the love of God, shut the fuck up."  
        I did. A few minutes later, Jeff groaned in frustration. "Why the fuck do I even play with you anymore? The games are rigged." He stood and stormed off. Not long after, he came back wielding his kitchen knife. "I'm going on a killing spree." he announced.  
        "A 'killing spree?'" I repeated inquisitively.   
        "You can't go now, it's broad daylight!" BEN objected.   
        "Whatever, mom. I'll be back in a little while."  
        "I want to come!" I piped in.  
        "Seriously?" BEN asked, surprised.   
        "For learning purposes." I confirmed.  
  
        "You can hardly even defend yourself." Jeff denounced.  
        "Show me how then." I appointed.   
        "I don't owe you any favors."  
        "Actually, you do." Slenderman countered, appearing in front of Jeff. "Consider this a portion of your punishment for attacking Miss Reverie the other day."   
        "No! Forget it, Slender."  
        "Well, the alternative would be to revoke your rights to purge the humans for a month."  
        "You can't stop me from killing!" Jeff defied, heading out the door.  
        Slenderman's tendril extended from his upper back to wrap itself around Jeff's ankle and lift him off of the ground, pulling him back into the house. Jeff hung upside down before Slenderman, struggling helplessly.  
        "Fuck you, Slender!" he protested.  
        "Take Miss Reverie with you." he commanded.   
        "Fine! Let's go." Slenderman set him back down. He started to leave, then turned around to face me. "Now!" I followed him out the door, switching over to his eyes.

* * *

**Jeff's Point of View**

  
         _I can't believe I got stuck with that dumb broad. She's weak; she won't be able to kill to save her life. But I'm not going to let her hold me back. This is still my killing spree.  
        _I made sure to keep within the tree line and my steps light. We were getting closer to the suburbs. When the road appeared between the trees, I stopped to make sure I was clear to pass. Just in case, I pulled my hood over my head to hide my beautiful facial modifications from unaccepting viewers. A twig snapped under Reverie's foot, reminding me the bitch was behind me.   
        "Can you see?" I whispered. She nodded in response. "Good."  
        "Why?" she asked stupidly.  
        "Because I can't have you falling on your ass and making excess noise." I shot. "Move quietly and quickly. We're crossing."  
        She obeyed, following me into the alley across the street. It was empty. "Cover your face." I commanded. She did. At least she wasn't being  _completely_  insufferable. I peered over the chainlink fences into the backyards. An open window caught my eye.   
        "Okay, we're going in." I hopped the fence into the backyard. She followed, but took her sweet damn time with it. "This year, Reverie."  
        She mumbled an apology under her breath and swung her leg over the fence. As she tried to swing her other leg over, her foot caught on the top, resulting in her falling flat on her face. I groaned and picked her up from the dirt, then I grabbed her wrist and dragged her towards the open window.   
        "How are we-" I slapped my hand over her mouth and motioned for her to stop talking. She nodded under my hand, and I released her. I poked my head into the opening and checked for a potential victim. Nothing. I motioned for her to climb into the house first. She shook her head nervously, and I pushed her towards the window. I couldn't have her falling behind and getting us caught. She lifted herself halfway in, and I assisted her the rest of the way by pushing her up by her thigh, then grabbed her ass for the shits and giggles. She kicked me in the side of the head on her way in. She covered her mouth in a sarcastic " _Oops!"_ face. I very generously ignored her. I swiftly pulled myself in through the window and landed silently on the carpeted flooring. Once in the room, I pressed my ear to the wall. She did the same. On the other side of the wall, I heard the sweet sound of a stupid teenage girl squeaking into the phone, just  _begging_  to be murdered. Reverie made a sour face at the sound of the girl. Guess she didn't like bitchy teens much either. A grin spread across my face as I pulled her wrist into the empty hallway.   
        When we came to the room with our girl, I stopped and turned to Reverie. "Knock on the door." I mouthed silently. She looked at me hesitantly, but I nodded at her to tell her to do it. She did. I pulled her back against the wall leading to the door and waited eagerly. The instant our girl opened the door, I slapped my hand over her mouth to silence her scream. I shoved her back into the bedroom and threw her up against the nightstand. Before she could attempt to scream again, I stomped on her lungs with a great deal of force, knocking the breath out of her. Quickly, I kneeled over and covered her mouth again. I turned to Reverie just to see her watching in a mixture of horror and great interest. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my victim.  
        "Who all is home, sweetheart?" I grinned, making her cry. Her muffled sobbing made it impossible to understand her even if she wanted to answer. I turned back to Reverie and nodded at her telling her to go find out. Submissively, she did as instructed. She came back a short moment later and shook her head. I happily took my hand from her face. She whined pathetically and cried for help.   
        "No one can save you, honey. I'm so happy to get some quality time alone with you. Aren't you thrilled?" She responded with more of her stupid tears and wails. "I know just the thing to cheer you up. Let's make you beautiful! Don't you want to look like me?" She struggled against me, but she was too weak to escape me even a little. I pulled out my knife from my sweatshirt pocket, just the sight of it making her scream. One nice, hard slap shut her up instantly. I got to work carving her perky little face. She cried out, which just made it more fun.   
        _"She's pretty loud, Jeffery,"_ Reverie said telepathically.  
        "I told you not to do that!" I reprimanded.  
        _"You also told me to be quiet."  
       _ "Whatis your point, Reverie?" I demanded.  
         _"It's just that it's the middle of the day, she's screaming at the top of her lungs, and her parents could be home any minute. I don't even think her call was ended on her cell phone over there."_  She gestured to the phone my victim left on her bed. I could see from here that she was right. The call was still going.  
        "Go end it, you fucking idiot!" I shouted.  
         _"I'm an idiot. You're the one who forgot to check. Some killer."_  she said, moving towards the phone. She picked it up. The girl was freaking out on the other end of the call; I could hear her stupid screeching from across the room.  
        "Oh, Cassie's not here right now. Can I take a message?" Reverie said cheerily to the girl. I tried to yell at her for not just hanging it up, but it was pretty damn funny; I just had to laugh. "Oh, she'll be feeling better real soon. No, she won't be calling back. Have a nice day!" She ended the call and threw it out the window. I laughed even harder, but I was a little concerned about how much evidence she was leaving behind. I guess she sensed this, because she just smiled at me and said calmly, "We aren't exactly from the area. They can collect all the evidence they want; they still can't catch us." Dumb broad had a point.  
        I turned back to the victim. Her face was beautifully slit open on each side and her tears were nicely mixed with her blood. Perfect. I felt satisfied. So satisfied, in fact, I decided to hand the reins over to the newbie.   
        "I'm gonna let you do the honors on this one, Rev." I handed her my knife.  
        "Me? I don't know." She said timidly.  
        "You'll enjoy it. Take the knife." She did. "Give it a go. Just do whatever feels right." She gazed anxiously at the weapon. "Just make sure not to go too easy on her. We want her dead." She thought it over for a second and took a deep breath. What she did next actually surprised me.  
        She began to scream at the most ear-piercing pitch I had ever heard, leaned over, and stabbed her several times in every place but the fatal ones. The girl tried to scream, but I couldn't hear her over Reverie. She was just hacking at the victim with both hands gripped on the handle while screaming bloody murder (pun intended). The victim started weakening, and in her final breaths, Reverie  _cut her fucking eyes out._  As if I wasn't already shocked enough, she then stabbed the girl's chest, dropped the knife, and manually ripped her chest open. She shoved her hand into the cavity and ripped out the poor bitch's heart, ripped that open, and shoved her bloody eyeballs inside of it. When all that was over, she tossed the messily-stuffed heart back into her chest. Suddenly she relaxed again, nonchalantly sweeping her hair from her face with her blood-painted fingers. She looked back up at me and smiled sweetly as if nothing had happened.  
        Let me emphasize something:  _There are no fucking words to describe the thoughts and feelings that encompassed me in that moment._   _NONE WHATSO-FUCKING-EVER._


	5. V

 

**Reverie's Point of View**

        It was like I wasn't really myself. Did I really want to brutally murder an innocent girl? My intention was to learn the ways of the other creepypastas, not necessarily to  _become_  them. All my life, I had tried so hard to be one of the humans; to keep from hurting people. That girl had never done anything to me. But it felt... Good. It was relieving in a way, like it lifted a weight from my shoulders that I hadn't known I possessed. I can't effectively describe it, really; it was just... New! And Jeff really seemed to like it. Not that I had hoped to impress him to begin with, but I'll admit, it felt nice to be somewhat accepted, even if it was just by some psycho prick.

* * *

 

**Jeff's Point of View**

        "What  _was_  that?" I urged breathlessly. I couldn't hold back my excitement; it was too crazy! I never in a million years expected to see that. She's so... emotional! "Empathetic" is not exactly the adjective used to describe a murderer.   
        "I don't know," she replied bashfully, scratching the back of her head. "It just felt right, I guess."  
        " _'You guess?'_ How many times have you done that?"  
        "A few times, but only in self defense. Did I do something wrong?"   
        "Other than murder someone?" I laughed. "No, in fact, it was kind of awesome." I admitted. Honestly, I was just dumbfounded. I loved this new side to her. She was so shy and weak, but deep down, she was fucking insane!   
        "Are you, like, sorry? For killing her?"  
        She thought for a second. "Not really. I mean she was just an innocent girl, but when I looked at her all I could think about was how catty and stupid bitches like her can be sometimes. I know her type. The world doesn't need it."  
        As we entered the mansion, I was trying to stop laughing in pure shock and joy. Eyeless was sitting on the couch fucking with his scalpel when we came in. He glanced up at us with a confused look on his face.   
        "Aw, you should've seen her today, man, it was crazy! She totally lost her shit on some stereotypical white girl and cut her eyes out and stuffed 'em in her heart and.. Dude it was awesome. You shoulda been there." I ranted.   
        EJ just kinda sat there with that same look on his face. "Huh?" he said blankly.   
        "You heard me! It was brutal!"  
        "Is he serious, Rev?" he said, turning to to Reverie.  
        "Well, yeah. I brought a souvenir." She said, pulling out the girl's bloody kidney she had wrapped in the girl's shirt.   
        "Aw, fuck yeah!" he cheered, jumping out of his seat to take the organ and give Reverie a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks, Rev." She blushed and smiled back at him. He sat back down and dug right in. "So, tell me again what happened." he requested with his mouth full.  
        "It wasn't a huge deal. He told me to kill her, so I did. He did all the heavy lifting." she said modestly, obviously hoping the attention would come off her. Too bad I didn't care.  
        "Dude, that's bullshit. She gouged her fucking eyes out with my knife and physically ripped her chest open! Then she stuffed her heart with her own eyes! I'm still not over it, it was just too cool."  
        She hid her face in her hair, turning bright red. "Damn, Rev. That's pretty sick." EJ commented, wiping a dribble of blood from his mouth.   
        "Pretty sick, indeed." Laughing Jack giggled, coming in from the other side of the room. "And pretty damn hot if you ask me." he came up and draped his arm over her shoulder. She tensed up a little bit, but tried to hide it with a smile. Eyeless Jack noticed this and shot LJ a look. "What?" he defended. "Is that not totally fucking sexy?" It was. Not gonna lie. But I wasn't gonna say it out loud either, so I just threw my hands up seemingly indifferently. EJ sighed and did the same. "Well, if you pussies won't say it, I will." he announced, turning to look Reverie in the "eyes". "That, my dear girl, sounds absolutely delectable. You've proven yourself to be quite the aphrodisiac." He kissed her hard on the mouth. Her eyelids flew open in surprise before he released her and laughed hysterically, bouncing away.  
        She blinked in amazement. "Well, okay, then."   
        "Not super used to PDA, are ya?" I observed playfully.  
        "There seems to be quite a bit of it in this house. I'll get used to it if necessary."  
        "Well, no, it doesn't have to be-"  
        "Hey, let the kid think for herself, EJ." I interrupted, taking a seat on the couch next to EJ. Respectful? Yes. Selfish? Maybe.  
        "I am going to go wash up. Thank you for the outing, Jeffery. It was a pleasure." Reverie said politely.   
        "Pleasure's all mine, babe." She started for the stairs. Once she was out o sight, EJ hit my arm.  
        "Ow! What gives?"   
        "You know exactly what gives, man, don't be such a dick!"   
        "What did I do?" I threw my hands up defensively.  
        "You hated her guts just a few hours ago, now you're totally trying to get at her."   
        "What? Of course not." I smirked.  
        "You're disgusting."  
        "You like her." I teased.  
        "No I don't!"  
        "You totally dig her! You wanna hit that, don't you Jack? You want to get all up in that, and you feel threatened by me. You afraid I'll steal your girl, Jack?" I taunted. "You afraid I'll bang your little girlfriend harder than you can?"   
        "Dude, shut the fuck up! You are such an ass! What makes you think she'd even go for you?"  
        "Obvious reasons." I said confidently, lacing my fingers behind my head and laying back on the couch. "They always do."  
        "Victims don't count, bro." he laughed.   
        "You two are horrendous excuses for gentlemen." Slenderman scolded, appearing in front of us. "Entirely revolting."  
        "Hey, don't categorize me in the same way as him, Slender!" EJ protested. "He's the nasty one."   
        "I don't want to hear it. This entire conversation is unacceptable. How do you think that poor girl would feel about you two discussing her in this manner?"  
        "Who knows, she could be flattered." I said obnoxiously.  
        "I assure you, Jeffery, she wouldn't be."   
        "How should you know?" I interrogated. "You like her, too, Slender?"  
        He just stood there. I expected some offended gesture or even a denial, but no, he just stood there.   
        "Oh my God, you  _do_  like her." I gasped. "That is so fucking crazy! Slendy's got himself a little crush!"   
        "Enough!" Slenderman roared, his jaw unhinging to reveal his monstrous teeth and his tendrils whipping from his back. I recoiled a bit, but made sure not to show Slender he was even somewhat intimidating. "I will not tolerate you referring to her in that way, and especially not when it pertains to me!  How exceedingly vile and inappropriate! The mere thought of it makes me sick! She has already been through too much to put up with you little perverts! _Leave her alone!_ "

        Then I heard angry footsteps pounding up the stairs. They were hers.  
        I fucked up.

* * *

 

**Reverie's Point of View**

         _What a thing to say! I make him "sick"?! I could deal with his whole "inappropriate" speech, but that was just harsh. I feel like an idiot. I wish I had never come here._

* * *

**Slenderman's Point of View**  
 

        _I feel truly despicable. I only wanted to keep her safe, now I am the one who has hurt her. She doesn't deserve to feel unwanted. Perhaps I never should have brought her here._

* * *

        **Reverie's Point of View**

        There was a knock on the door. I immediately jumped under the covers as silently as possible and pretended I was asleep. The door cracked open, but the visitor said nothing for a moment.  
         ** _Miss Reverie, I know you're awake._**  
_No I'm not.  
        _ He sighed and sat on the edge of my bedside, resting his large hand on my calf.  
         _ **How much of that did you hear?  
        ** It's fine, Slenderman.  
         **I see no point in lying to someone who can read minds.  
        **_ I said nothing.   
       ** _You should know that hurting you is the last thing I have ever wanted to do. I spoke poorly, and let my frustrations with the boys get the best of me. I meant to say that the thought of overwhelming you makes me sick, not that of forming a relationship with you._**  
        Still, I said nothing.  
         **** _Miss Reverie, please talk to me. I couldn't bear it if you ignored me.  
        _ I turned to let him see my face.   
         _But you find a relationship with me to be unthinkable?  
        _ He sat silently for a moment.  
         _Well, I... I mean you are... I couldn't.. Oh, dear, I am so afraid to misstep._

_Don't be. Whatever you might say couldn't be worse than something I've already heard._  
        _ **That's just it, Miss Reverie; I don't want to be held to that standard. I don't want to be better to you than the others, I want to be good to you. You are a beautiful girl and a wonderful person, and just the thought of hurting you makes me ill. Please forgive me for what I said back there.**_  
        I bowed my head to hide my face and nodded.  
         **Are you okay?**  
         _I'm fine._    
        He sighed.   
_**Okay. Please do not hesitate to come to me if you need anything.**_  
        And he was gone.


	6. VI

"Reverie!"  
        I rolled over and reached to feel the face that belonged to the person shaking me. I was far too tired to use any other sensual reasoning skills. My fingertips were met by EJ's mask.   
        "Dude, I can't see the time, but I can assume it is too fucking early for this."  
        "You might want to see this."  
        "Bite me."  
        He groaned and dragged me out of bed and down the stairs into the living room. "Do your vision thingy on me."  
        I did as requested. The television was turned on to display a picture of the girl I killed, captioned: BREAKING NEWS - VICIOUS MURDER SCENE UNCOVERED IN SUBURBAN HOME.   
        "Why do I care about this, Jack?" I said, trying to mask my discomfort. It had been a while since I was local news. At least this time I wasn't exactly the the freaky headline monster.  
        "It's your first news story!" he cheered.  
        "It's not my first." I scratched the back of my head, trying not to turn red with shame.  
        "Okay, your first as a pasta. Thought it would be cool for you to see it yourself."  
         _Okay, that's kinda sweet._  I gave him a hug. "Thanks, EJ. That was thoughtful. Seems I won't be getting back to sleep, though."   
        "Coffee?"  
        "Sounds great."   
        I followed him into the kitchen and hopped up onto the countertop as he made a pot of coffee. "So," he chirped rather cheerily for a young man at the buttfuck of dawn, "How was your little chat with Slender?"  
        "Okay, have you no idea that may be a personal topic?"  
        "Should it be, though?" he challenged nonchalantly. "I mean it's just a question. Sorry if it doesn't seem that way. Not trying to make you uncomfortable."   
        I thought on it for a second. _He was there._ "It's okay. I mean it was just a recap; just filling me in on what I hadn't heard. No big deal."   
        "What all  _did_  you hear?"   
        "Just enough to know that Slenderman is concerned for my comfort."  
        "You know I'm do NOT intend to make you uncomfortable in any way, right, Rev?"  
        "I know, Jack."  
        "I mean it, Reverie. Don't just bowl it over because you don't know if it's  _typical human behavior_  or not. Just pull me aside if you want to know what's up with me, or any of us for that matter. I have your back."  
        "Thanks."  
        "Yeah." he handed me a mug of hot coffee. "Careful. Hot." I nodded in response. "Especially Jeff, Rev. Make sure to keep me up to date with all that."   
        "Why? Is something wrong?" I cocked my head a little in inquiry.  
        "Oh, it's nothing. He's just a bit of an ass sometimes."  
        "I am fully aware."  
        "Okay, but just tell me if something unusually ass-like occurs. Promise?"  
        "Yes, Jack."  
        "I mean it, Rev, promise me." he demanded, holding out his hand and extending his pinkie finger.  
        "What the Hell is that?"   
        "You've never made a pinkie promise?" he asked, seeming surprised.  
        "Is that weird?"  
        "A little, but I guess we don't know all that much about each other." He stepped closer. He demonstrated by wrapping his extended finger around my own. I could see him gazing down at me, taking a small step closer. I kind of wished I could see him, too; it gets kind of boring staring at myself. I un-synced and brought my hand to his face, lifting his mask. I examined his facial structure, taking in every inch to memorize it, to save it in my mind for the next time this kind of thing occurs. Still, he inched closer until we were chest to chest and I could feel his breath against my cheeks, which flushed in response to this lack of space. "I want to get to know you."  
         _Oh, God. I can't._  Abruptly, I pulled away.  
        "What's wrong?" he asked, obviously feeling somewhat rejected.   
        "Nothing, nothing. I'm gonna.. go get dressed." I shuffled upstairs without another word.

 

* * *

 

 

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

         _Okay, that was kind of strange. Was it me? I came on too strong. Maybe Slender was right. She's gone through a lot. I shouldn't push her. She'll come around when she wants to. Right?_

* * *

**Reverie's Point of View**

         _I'm being too skittish. I don't mean to scare him away! But that is what I'm good at. Maybe I should just stick to that. He's a good guy. I don't want him to get hurt. Not by me.  
        _Exasperated,I flopped onto my bed, my face wholly consumed by my pillow. 

* * *

        I woke up again later on that morning. I slipped into some jeans and a tank, brushed my teeth, ran my fingers through my hair, and headed downstairs to face my day.   
        "Revvy! My sweet, Godless angel, come to me!" LJ called as I landed at the base of the staircase. I did as told with a shy smile. He had a way of doing that to me. Upon approaching him, he stood up from the couch to greet me with open arms and a swift lick across my cheek. And then another. And another.  
        "Dude, that's weird." I heard EJ say.   
        "Oh, but she's just so sweet!" he whined. "And you know how I  _love_  sweet things." he said quietly, leaning in so only I could hear him. He grabbed my hips with each hand and sat me on his lap as he plopped down on the couch. "So," he began, bringing my arms up to wrap themselves around his neck, "would you like to join our killing party tonight? We thought we'd take a larger group this time, to give you a more  _thorough_  experience." he hissed, turning in the other direction.  
        "Hey, the plan was not to take her along." Jeff defended himself.

        "Aw, I enjoyed the time we had together, too, Jeffery!" I cooed sarcastically.  
        "Shut the fuck up, stupid bitch." he said, trying to mask a little smile.   
        "As I was saying, dear," Laughing Jack cut in, "I personally would be so delighted to accompany you on a killing spree this fine evening. Would you do me the honor?" he requested grandly, kissing the back of my hand.  
        "I would love to." I laughed.   
        "Wonderful! We leave at dusk!" he announced loudly, this time with twice the grandeur. 

* * *

        Laughing Jack, Jeff, Eyeless Jack, Slenderman, the proxies and I left for the killing spree around six while BEN and Jane stayed home with Sally. We exited the mansion and started on our way in to mortal suburbia.   
        "What is the plan? Do we go as a group, or do we split up?"  
        "Normally we split, but this time we'll be doing a bit of both." EJ answered.  
        "All for you." Jeff said snidely, rolling his eyes.  
        "Oh, you shouldn't have." I stuck my tongue out at him, and he did it right back.   
        "For you, my darling, anything." Laughing Jack said, pulling me in to him as he draped his long arm over my shoulders.  
        "Okay, here is the objective," Slenderman began with his instructions, "You will each individually demonstrate your killing style to Miss Reverie to give her an opportunity to learn. From that, she may develop her own style, taking whatever she wishes from your demonstrations into account. This is to help her improve  _her own_  strategies, so please, be clear with your strategies, and distinguish your trademarks clearly. Unless, of course, you would like to see her reflect them within her own work."   
        "That shouldn't be too much of a problem; I'm pretty aware." I assured the group. "I can probably tell that eating organs is an EJ thing." I joked, nudging Jack. He nudged back with a chuckle.  
        "We will travel separately to avoid suspicion, of course. I trust that you all know your way around?" he directed towards the others. They nodded in confirmation. "Good. Who will volunteer to take Miss Reverie first?"   
        "I will!" Eyeless Jack said.  
        "So be it. Miss Reverie: good luck." Slenderman disappeared. Everyone else bolted off in their separate directions, with the exception of EJ, who stuck with me.  
        "Ready for this?" he asked.  
        "I think so." I smiled nervously.  
        "Let's go!"

* * *

  
        He led me into the suburbs to a small house. It looked kind of run down and abandoned. As we approached the windows on the side of the house, Eyeless peered in. After a second, he scoffed and told me to check it out. What I saw didn't seem like much at first. It was just clothes and trash strewn all over the ground. I looked at him to communicate my confusion.   
        "Look closer at the trash." I did. It was mostly bottles and paper drink cartons. Through the clear bottles, I could see they contained ash and cigarette butts.   
        "Alcoholic?" I asked.  
        "Yup."  
        "Why would you want any of his organs? They're probably all very damaged."  
        "You're right. I don't. Just trying to show you the type I avoid. Even though this guy is a sorry sack of shit, that's all he is to me. This is where we move on." he explained.  
        And that we did. We walked a little further on into the neighborhood. The house we came upon next was a little nicer, but still kind of low class. He went ahead and checked it out through the window in the front of the house. From my standpoint, I could hear some shouting. It sounded like a young couple.   
        "What is that?"  
        "Normal human behavior, I assure you. This is us, though. Watch carefully." He headed right up to the front door. I gasped.  _What the fuck is he doing?_ Then he knocked. (?!)  
        "Oh my God!" I whispered. He hushed me and grabbed my hand, pulling me away and laughing to himself, clearly amused by my lack of experienceq. He ducked and yanked me behind the bushes to the side of the porch, still laughing quietly. I heard the door open, and the young man called out. Once he saw no one was there, he closed the door. The argument resumed. Jack then stood and led me to the windows on the side of the house. This time, he pulled out his trusty scalpel and scratched the glass with the edge of the blade, creating a horrible screeching sound that brought my hands to my ears to shield me from it. The couple went silent. The man came back to the front door. Jack motioned for me to stay put as he ran around the back of the house.  
        "Who the Hell is out there?!" he demanded. I stood uncomfortably and waited for Jack to return. "Come on out you little pussy! You fucking coward-" then there was a little yelp and the sound of his body dropping to the ground. Jack came bolting from the front of the house and grabbed my hand, leading me in the direction from which he came. The porch was littered with his dead body. His throat was slit, and the front door was wide open. The girl called for him, and headed to the front door. When she saw him, she started to scream, thus cueing Jack to drag me in through the front door. Once we were in, he let go of me and knocked the girl on her back. She struggled, but soon enough, her throat was slit as well. He then dragged the man inside and closed the door behind him.   
        "This is where my work actually begins." he lectured, beginning to harvest the kidneys. "I don't actually care about killing them. I just want the kidneys. No specific strategy, no dramatic movie lines, just kidneys. Quick and simple." He cut them open and very delicately sorted through their organs to reach the kidneys with one hand, and pulling out a little plastic bag with another. He dropped the kidneys into the bag, wiped his bloody hands on his jeans, and stood to leave. "I'll spare you the visuals and save these babies for later."  
        "Thank you." I grinned.   
        "Shall we?" he offered his arm, and I latched on, still smiling. He opened the front door for me, and I did a crappy little curtsey as if to thank him. We exited the house, and he shut the door behind him.

* * *

        Next was LJ. We went into the nicer area of town to a house with a family inside. I was HIGHLY uncomfortable with the idea of murdering children, but I said nothing on the topic. The whole point of the trip was to learn their ways, not to criticize them.   
        Nonetheless, I don't even truly feel comfortable recounting the event. The clown tied up this single mother and forced her to watch as he brutally slaughtered her two children, tearing each one apart limb from limb and stuffing them with poisonous candy like little flesh piñatas. All she could do was scream and cry under the gag he had placed in her mouth. I felt terribly for her, and was rather thankful that her eventual demise was quick. I didn't even want to watch, it made me so sick, but I did. For a while, I couldn't bare to even face LJ. It truly was a learning experience.

* * *

        Once all that was over, Slenderman teleported into the house LJ and I were in. Without a single word, he lifted me up bridal style and brought me back into the woods.   
         ** _Are you alright?_  
        ** _Not really, but I get the clown getup now._  
         ** _I am terribly sorry, Miss Reverie. I should have known not to allow you to watch that sort of strategy-_  
        ** _Slenderman?_  
         ** _Yes, Miss Reverie?_    
        ** _Though I genuinely appreciate the concern, I can't help the feeling you are babying me a bit. Don't get me wrong, I understand you feel sort of obligated to keep me safe and all, but this is nothing. I've seen so much worse. Yes, I'm a little distressed, but I will be okay. I promise._  
        He was quiet for a moment. I started to apologize, but he stopped me.  
         ** _No, you're right. It was foolish of me not to assume you were capable of managing yourself. You have already made it this far on your own; I should have known better. I apologize, Miss Reverie, please forgive me.  
       _ ** _Why do you call me that?_  
         ** _Call you what?_  
        ** _"Miss Reverie"?_  
 ** _I only use that honorific out of respect for you. Why do you ask?_**  
         _You think of me as a mere child, don't you, Slenderman?_  
  
        Again, he was silent. This time, much longer. Eventually, he just sighed.   
         ** _Miss- I mean, Reverie... I... You are...  
        _**He sighed again.  
         ** _Could you allow me to get back to you on that?  
        _** _What for?  
         **I do not want to say the wrong thing.  
        **Just say it.  
         **I honestly don't know how to say it.  
        **Then just let me ask you something?  
         **Of course.  
        **_I did my best to gather what courage I possessed and just let it out.  
         _Do you, in any way, see me romantically?  
        _For what felt like hours, there was absolute silence. He didn't even attempt to string a reply together. For a moment, I thought he might have left. Was he angry? I was starting to wish I hadn't said anything.  
         ** _All I know is that you fascinate me. I can't call it anything than that as it stands, because I genuinely don't know. I feel very strongly about you, and I care for you deeply, but you must know, I've kept watch over you since you were a child. It is somewhat difficult NOT to see you as a child, because I watched you grow up. But I swear to you, I have not eliminated the idea of a romantic relationship with you. Please, I beg of you, just allow me the opportunity to figure it out. I promise I will update you as soon as I know for sure.  
        _**It was my turn to be speechless. How could I respond to that? After a moment of thinking, I decided I was overthinking, and decided to leave the analyzing until after a test had been completed. My adrenaline rushed, and as I told myself I had nothing to lose, I leaned in and kissed him. He sat there stiffly and silently. I retreated from the kiss and waited for some type of response. The suspense was killing me.   
         ** _I'm sorry, Reverie. I just can't._**  
I felt as if I had been stabbed. In hindsight, I realize I did have something to lose. It was small, but it was there. It was my dignity.   
         ** _Please, no, do not feel that way! I am so sorry, Reverie, but I just can't see you that way. Human desire for physical affection simply doesn't apply to me. I want you to be happy, so please, at the very least, know it isn't you. You are a beautiful woman, but I'm not human, and you deserve better than just to settle for me.  
        _**I was crushed, but I did see his point. This chemical reaction I was experiencing was nothing more than typical human psychology. He couldn't possibly share those feelings for me.   
         **** _I'm sorry._  
        Me too.  
        He lifted me and brought me to my bedroom. He laid me on my bed and leaned down to touch his forehead to mine. He left without another word.


	7. VII

   When I woke up the next day, I didn't even want to get out of bed. I just couldn't face him; I was so humiliated. It didn't make any sense. If I fully understood what Slenderman had to say, why, then, was I still so hurt by it? I was thoroughly disgusted with myself. He had been like a father to me all these years, and I forced myself on him, mistaking his paternal affection for romantic. In that moment, I hated being human. My emotions were torturing me; clouding my reasoning. I had no romantic feelings for Slenderman really, I was just desperate for love and attention from the lack of both my entire life. Stupid little feelings such as love are just basic chemical reactions in the brain, with only one objective: to protect my genetic future. A lost cause, really. I'd be amazed if I made it to my twenty-fifth year! But then, I had said that about my twentieth as well. Regardless, I couldn't imagine a domestic life anywhere down the line. It was simply impossible.  
        My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. I rolled over and pretended to sleep.   
        "You awake, Rev?" EJ called. I didn't respond. He cracked the door open for a second before coming in and sitting at the foot of my bed. Still, I didn't move or speak. "I wouldn't pursue a career in acting if I were you." I finally sighed and rolled over to give him an exasperated look. "There you are." he smiled knowingly. "Good morning, sunshine."  
        "What time is it?" I asked, letting a little tone of annoyance through.  
        "About 11:45." he replied, ignoring my attitude. "Talk to me."  
        "About what?"  
        "Tell me what's wrong." I started to protest, but he cut me off. "Obviously something's up. Was it LJ? I know his style is a little harsh."  
        "It's not that." I dismissed. "I'm fine. Really."  
        "I'm serious about that acting thing, Rev; you're a really bad liar. You know you can tell me anything."  
        "I know." I sighed.   
        "Then what's up?"

        I wasn't going to tell him about what happened with Slenderman. No way. But I didn't want him to feel like I didn't trust him, either. "Are you human?" I asked reluctantly.

  
        "Well, that depends on how you define 'human'. I was born human. Technically, now, I'm demonic, but anatomically, I'm human." he explained thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"   
        "I don't know." I sighed. "Do you ever wish you were  _completely_  demonic?"  
        "I'll admit, I've thought about it, but I believe that being human keeps me sane. When I was first possessed, I had zero self-control."  
        "But wouldn't it be easier that way? Not having to worry about normal human issues?"  
        "Maybe, but we are already exempt from quite a few of those. How old are you, Rev?"  
        "Roughly twenty-two."  
        "Wait, really? I would've thought you'd be older."  
        "What is your point, Jack?" I snapped.  
        "Oh, right. Normal humans at your age are struggling with money or college classes or social stuff. When was the last time you concerned yourself with paying a cell phone bill?"   
        "Fair enough. However, the emotional shit is still there."  
        "Oh, God, yes. If you ever think even for a second that I've never struggled with depression, you're sorely mistaken. Trading med school for a hankering for kidneys was not an easy transition. It may not have been 'normal', but it's sure as fuck more complicated than dealing with a rude comment on your most recent Facebook status."  
        "'Facebook'?"   
        "I'll explain that later. My point is, you're not alone in this. I've been there, and I understand."  
        I let it all sink in. I wanted to thank him, but I was sure he was getting tired of hearing that phrase out of my mouth. Instead, I just moved next to him at the end of the bed and hugged him, laying my head on his chest. He accepted and rested his cheek on the top of my head.  
         I'm not human, but I'm not a monster either. Sometimes, I don't fully understand it. But he understands me, and that's all I could've asked for.


	8. VIII

        "Have I said or done something to make you think this is okay?" Jeff asked as I flopped down on the couch next to him.

        "Nope. It's amazing how free will works, isn't it? One moment you're alone, the next, some blind bitch is sitting next to you." I observed sarcastically, crossing my legs.

        "You've really got quite the attitude, don't you, no-eyes?" he scoffed.

        "You really struggle to come up with original insults, don't you, joker-reject?"

        "Fuck you, bitch!" he barked.

        "When, where, and how hard?" I asked seductively, doing a little eyebrow-dance along with it. "See, we're already getting so much closer! We should sit together more often." I joked, snuggling up to him.        

        "I  _will_ kill you." he warned, reaching for his knife.

        "You will do no such thing!" Slenderman called from the other room.

        " _Yes I will_." Jeff whispered to me.

        "No, you will  _not_ , Jeffery!" Slenderman called again more assertively.

        Jeff groaned and shoved me off of him. "Don't touch me."

        "So what's your deal?" I asked rather obnoxiously. "Like, I get that you're a psycho serial killer and all, but why? Is there like a really sad backstory behind the scars, or are you just kind of a dick?"

        "The latter." he growled. "I would stop asking questions that you don't want the answer to, little girl."

        "Dude, I'm pretty sure I'm older than you, right? Regardless, tell me the scoop."

        "Fine. A couple little pricks fucked me up eight years ago and I made my face even more gorgeous. Parents didn't like it, so I killed 'em. Happy, street rat?"

        "That's  _so_  much better than no-eyes. Bravo. I  _am_  happy, now."

        "What's wrong with you, then? Did someone else fuck up your face, or did you?"

        "Actually, I don't know." I said, getting lost in thought.

        "Too bad." he dismissed. "Could've been a cool story behind it."

        "Well, I guess I could just think one up. Blank canvas."

        "Inauthentic, but true." 

        "Yup. It may be kind of difficult to top yours though. Getting your ass kicked... Pretty fucking anarchy."  
        "I really do not like you, orphan rodent."  
  
  
        "Ouch!" I brought my hand to my chest, acting pained. "You're getting better at this name-calling thing though. I love it."  
        "Oh you like that?" he grinned evilly. "How 'bout I knock you on your ass instead?"  
        "Ooh, baby, I love it when you talk dirty!"  
       Suddenly, he stood and pulled me off of the couch by my hair, throwing me on the floor. I kicked his foot from underneath him, and he wobbled a little, trying to catch his balance. Before he could, I reached for the television remote and threw it at his forehead. As he clutched his head, I started to stand, but he caught me and shoved me back down. He kneeled and pinned me to the carpet, holding his knife to my neck with bloodlust in his psychotic eyes. I pretended to cough a little before saying, "Is that a knife in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"  
        He stared at me for a brief moment, then he started laughing. He rolled off of me and laid on his back, just letting it all out. I started laughing, too. "I really do hate you, Rev." he said, trying to recollect himself.   
        "Aw, you can't help it. I'm hilarious." I laughed, sticking my tongue out at him. "I hate you, too, Jeffery."  
        I could tell he was trying really hard not to laugh. Part of him really did want to hate me; I could tell. I rather enjoyed his company. Bad boys weren't my thing, but he was fun. Kind of like the brother I never had, and didn't realize I wanted until now. 

* * *

        **Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

        I walked downstairs, ready to watch some hospital dramas with some leftover organs from the other night's spree. "Grey's Anatomy" was the only thing on my mind, but as I neared the living room, my sights set on Jeff on top of Reverie on the floor. I stopped in my tracks and went back up to my room.  _Fuck that. Fuck ALL of that.  
        I have tried so hard to be patient with her. I respected that she is going through a lot right now and that she probably just doesn't have the energy to worry about relationships. I would understand that. But, there she was, making eyes at Jeff. Jeff! He is such a prick to her! Why is it that girls always go for the assholes? It's just not right. I guess I overestimated her. She's no different from any of the other human girls.   
        _I flopped face-first onto my bed and yelled into my pillow. Fuck her. She can have all of the fun with Jeff that she wants. For a split second, I thought about her with Jeff. Totally cringe-worthy.  
         _No. No, I will NOT let that happen. Okay, so that's how he's going to play? I'll just have to play along with his stupid, womanizing game. She likes them bad, so I'll be bad. Whatever it takes, but I will not watch him play her. She's worth more than a little run-in with Jeff the Killer._


	9. IX

**Reverie's Point of View**

        I was sitting on the couch watching BEN and Jeff play video games when EJ came down from his room. He veered into the kitchen and grabbed a leftover kidney from the fridge before joining us in the living room. Instead of taking the large space on the couch next to me, he decided to sprawl out on the floor directly in front of the television, blocking the boys' view of the game. Nonchalantly, he unwrapped the kidney and took a gigantic bite.   
        "Dude, move! What's wrong with the couch?" Jeff barked at Eyeless.  
        "Oh, am I in your way, sweetheart?" Jack sneered. He side glanced at me, and I just blinked at him. What the Hell was his problem?  
        "Bitch, I will cut you!" Jeff threatened.  
        "Jeff, calm down." I intervened. "Jack, can we talk?"  
        "Whatever you want, babe." he stood and dusted himself off. I watched him as he walked outside without even waiting up. I rolled my eyes and followed him out.  
        Once outside, I shut the door behind me and leaned against the mansion wall. "Are you okay?"  
        "Why wouldn't I be? What's up?" he said, keeping his eyes on his scalpel as he tethered his fingers around it.   
        "I don't know, you just aren't acting like yourself."  
        "This is me, sugarlips. Same guy I was yesterday."  
        "No, it is  _not_. Come on, Jack, talk to me."  
        "There's nothing to say. How about we do a little less talking and a little more doing, if you know what I mean." he suggested, pressing his body against me and pinning me to the brick wall.  
        "Dude, what is  _wrong_  with you?"   
        "Oh, you don't like this? Well get used to it, honey." he leaned his face closer to my ear. "There's a Hell of a lot more where this came from. Take it or leave it." he whispered seductively, sending goosebumps down my neck. He brought his hands to my waist and grasped my hips with a touch of force. I started to move, but he pushed my hips back up against the wall and stared aggressively into my eyes. "Thought you wanted to talk?"  
        "This isn't talking." I said quietly, my face getting hot.   
        "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know I have a habit of getting to the point."    
        "Oh, really? And what's that?" I challenged defiantly.  
        "You are." he said matter-of-factly.   
        "I am." I repeated.  
        "Yes, very good. You're a quick learner." he grinned mischievously. I just stared at him. Who was this person? This is not the sweet, charming guy I had come to adore. I will admit, I was mildly enjoying this playful banter, but I could tell this would become problematic soon.  
        "Don't think I don't see the difference in your attitude." I informed him. I noticed he was still pressed into me. "You know what you're doing."  
        "You're right, I do. And don't think I don't know that you want me, Reverie." I blushed. "Go on. Deny it."  
        "Jack, you're being an ass."  
        "Am I? I'm sorry, princess." he grinned.  
        "Don't call me that." I growled.  
        "Oh, not that one? Okay then, sexy, what would you prefer?" He brushed his nose against my neck. "How about.. beautiful?" he kissed my neck gently, causing me to blush harder. "Marvelous?" He kissed me again, this time an inch or so closer to my collar bone. "Breath-taking?" he breathed, kissing me a few more times, moving farther and farther downward.  
        "Jack.." I said nervously.  
        "Just tell me what you want. It's yours." he said, continuing to kiss me.  
        I gathered my strength and took a deep breath. "I want you, Jack. The  _real_  you. Not this persona you've assumed for Hell knows what reason." I pushed him off of me with as much assertive force as I could muster and ran back into the house, slamming the door behind me.

* * *

**Jeff's Point of View**

        All I saw was Reverie come into the house and run upstairs to her room. He must've really pissed her off, because I know she is unfairly patient with people. He followed after her, looking equally angry. Instead of storming off, however, Eyeless came and stood over me while I was sitting on the couch.   
        "What?" I asked defensively.  
        "You know exactly what, asshole. Leave her alone!"  
        "What the fuck did I do? We sat on the same couch! Fucking sue me!"  
        "Oh, and what was that yesterday? You were on top of her! You expect me to believe that was nothing?"  
        "Actually, yes. Yes I do."  
        "No. You had to intentionally put yourself on top of her, that shit doesn't just magically occur."  
        "She's not your property, man! I can't help it if she just wants me. Don't blame me for her not swooning her pants off over you." I grinned evilly.           
        He swung at me, screaming vulgarities that I couldn't even make out. I dodged the attack. BEN shouted for him to stop, but Jack swung again, this time hitting me square in the jaw. I kicked him in the stomach, and he flew backwards and gasped for air. BEN shouted for Slender.  _Pussy._ Slender appeared over us and tore us apart from each other, each of us held back by one tendril.   
        "I refuse to be involved in this from now on. Figure it out for yourselves, but do not kill each other. May the best man win." he instructed calmly.  
        "Yeah, no promises." I glared angrily at Jack.  
        "Well, that is definitely the  _easy_ way to get rid of the competition." Slender shrugged. "Maybe Jack is the better man after all." He disappeared.  
        There was a long period where Jack and I just stared each other down, silently sizing up our opponent. I didn't even want her, really, but there was no way in Hell I was going to let Eyeless Jack beat me at  _anything.  
        Game on._


	10. X

**Reverie's Point of View**

         _What the fuck is wrong with me? What do I care how Jack is behaving? He's obviously going through something. Maybe it's best I stay away from him altogether, for his sake and for mine. But I don't want to. I want to be near him, and I want him to be okay. Why won't he talk to me? He is the one who was always so insistent upon talking. This just can't be him!  
       What am I doing? This shouldn't concern me. I should be used to being alone by now; it's probably already been like 20 years! Granted, I hate it, but being alone is normal for me. Maybe I'm just trying to escape that now. All of these men around me, and now I've become obsessed with the irrational hope of being somewhat loved. God, I'm so stupid! Here we are again; new guy, new hope of domestication. It makes me sick. In times like these, I wish I could just run from myself, and my pathetic need for something I can never hope to possess.   
        _At this point, I was trying unreasonably hard not to cry. The tears were starting to fall, but I wouldn't bring myself to let them, even though deep down I knew that battle was already lost. Within those few minutes, there was a knock at the door. I didn't answer. I didn't want to see anyone. Nothing could make me feel better.  
        "Rev, open up!" Jack called from the other side of the door, knocking again.   
         _Especially_  not that.   
        He tried to open the door, but he found it locked. He pushed again, and the dresser I had placed under the knob rattled defiantly. "Reverie! Open the damn door!"   
        "Go away!" I sobbed.   
        "Open the fucking door, Rev! I want to talk to you."  
        "Oh, sure, NOW you want to talk?" I shouted. "Well, it's too fucking late. Leave me alone."  
        "Please." he said, his voice breaking. "I'm sorry."  
        "Leave me alone, Jack." I heard him sigh reluctantly. There was silence, then the sound of footsteps.  
        Finally, I let myself cry. I sobbed and sobbed, just letting all of my anger out.  I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed the small glass bottle Jack had left that night I was having trouble sleeping. My fingers traced its form as my memory of that conversation flooded my mind. I shook it off and chucked the empty bottle at the wall in front of me. It shattered and its broken remnants clattered to the floor beneath it. I paused for a moment. The broken bottle had given me an idea.  
        I grabbed a duffel bag and a dagger Slenderman had left in the nightstand. He knew I wouldn't need it here, but he had said it may help me feel a bit safer. I pulled my old sweatshirt over my head and threw one leg over the windowsill. I was two stories up, so I tugged on the vine a foot or so from my window to test it. I decided to take my chances and threw the other leg over, holding fast to the vine. I took it slow and followed it down, keeping my feet against the outer walls of the mansion as leverage. Eventually the vine gave out and I fell with it to the hard ground beneath me, knocking the breath out of my lungs with the impact. Luckily the dagger clattered to the ground beside me rather than lodging itself in my side. I caught my breath, gathered myself, brushed myself off, and headed out.

* * *

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

        I couldn't sleep that night. I hated Jeff for trying to get at her, knowing damn well he didn't want her like I did. I hated Reverie for not wanting me back. But most of all, I hated myself for hurting her. I had decided that her happiness was more important, and I would be there for her even if she ended up with Jeff the Killer. I felt guilty for thinking this way, but if he hurt her, I could comfort her and then go for it in good time. I looked at the clock, which read 5:37 a.m.. I thought it over for a few more minutes, and decided I couldn't wait; I had to go talk to her. Maybe in her tired state, she wouldn't have enough energy to send me away. Okay, that's pretty creepy. Oh well.  
        I paused for a second once I approached the door to collect my thoughts. Once I felt confident enough, I knocked gently. "Rev?" I called. No answer. I knocked again. "Rev, I know it's early and you don't want to talk to me, but it's important. Can I come in?" Still no answer. I tried to open the door. It was still locked. "Rev?" I called. I pulled out my scalpel and picked the lock. I knew I had succeeded, but the door still wouldn't open. After a minute or two of fumbling with it, I cracked it open enough to peek in at the bed. It was empty.   
        "Rev?!" I shouted. I slammed my body against the door again and again until the dresser toppled over, its contents spilling out all over the floor. I rushed in and looked around. No sign of her.  
        Slender appeared behind me. "Where is she?" fear coming through his voice.   
        "I don't know!" I shouted frantically. My eyes darted around the room to land on the open window. Its curtains flapped in the breeze coming through.  
 

* * *

**Reverie's Point of View**  
  _Seven Hours Earlier_  
 

        I neared the police headquarters a few hours later. I was immensely nervous about the whole thing, but I was feeling adventurous nonetheless. It was dark outside, but the LED lights streamed through the trees from the large flashlights of the guards out front. The building was still lit from the inside, and through the windows, I could see people were still bustling about their offices. I lifted my sweatshirt, took a breath, and cut a long gash into my hip with Slenderman's dagger. Not deep enough to seriously injure me, just enough to bleed quite a bit. Then I slashed a few strategic spots in my sweatshirt, and doused my face and neck in a bit of my own blood, including the area around my eyes, to appear they had been removed recently. I put the dagger away and held my wound as I ran pathetically towards the guard.   
        "Help! Please, help me!" I sobbed helplessly.   
        "Oh, God." the guard gasped upon my appearance. "I- I'll call an ambulance.." he stuttered, pulling out his cell phone.   
        "No need." I panted. Just as he looked at me in surprise, I stabbed him in the stomach. He fell to his knees and started to shout for help, but I kicked him upside his head, knocking him out. At the rate his blood was spilling, he would be dead soon. I grabbed his badge, donned his jacket, and headed in.   
        As I swept through the hallways, I sighed in relief to find they were empty. There was a sign on the wall that read "EVIDENCE LOCKER", with an arrow that directed readers toward the turn, which I promptly obeyed. Before the chamber, there was another gateway that required ID. I swiped my card and entered through the double doors that followed. Another guard noticed me and shouted. I stabbed him too, this time not waiting until he called for help to knock him out. I took his badge and swiped it at the entrance to the locker. Once I was in, I grabbed a few bags of confiscated drugs and weapons and stuffed them in my bag, then headed right back out.  
        Unfortunately, I found myself having to kill a few other guards as I bolted towards the tree line. I could hear the sirens blaring and people shouting to each other. I did not look back.   
        For hours, I wandered around the woods looking for the mansion. Even when the sky had gotten lighter, there was no sign of it. I could hear the search party getting closer, so I did my best to climb a tree quickly and quietly. When I finally made it up, I watched the group of officers travel underneath me, occasionally asking each other for evidence. Apparently one of the guards had lived and given a description of me. My heart pounded in my chest, but I didn't dare breathe. Eventually they moved along, and I allowed myself to exhale. I climbed further up the tree all the way to the top, looking out among the rest, hoping to see the mansion, but my vision cut soon after. The guard's eyes had gotten too far away for me to sync to them. When my sight wore off, I started making my way back down. I misstepped on my way to the next branch, and I lost my grip of the tree altogether. I fell off and hit my head on another branch on the way down. I had already passed out before I had even hit the ground.


	11. XI

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

        "I have to go after her!" I shouted at Slenderman, standing in the mess left in her room. I couldn't stop staring at the open window.  _Why would she leave? Was it me?  
         **I don't think it was, child. She has been under an acute amount of stress recently. Perhaps she just feels safer out there, where she is familiar with things. Where she is alone.**_  
        He sighed.  _ **Maybe this is for the best.**_  
        "How could you say that?!" I screeched. "She's in danger! We can't just let this happen!"  
         ** _Have you considered her happiness, Eyeless Jack?  
        _**"I'm sorry, but right now, it's just not as important as her  _safety_!"  
         ** _She is twenty-two years old. She made it this far on her own.  
        _**"I don't care! They're already looking for her from that killing with Jeff. If they find her, she's dead!" My heart was pounding in my ears and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I did my best to inhale before I passed out.  _Being a pussy won't help her. She needs me, and I can't fail her._  
         **Try your best to e** **ntertain the thought that she may NOT need you, Jack. For your sake.**  
"The only thought I will entertain is bringing her home. That will be all that matters until it is done." With that, I pushed past him and jumped out of the open window, and I hit the ground running. 

* * *

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

        I woke up to see Slenderman towering over me. "What the Hell do you want?" I asked, rolling over.  
         ** _Would you mind going after Eyeless Jack? He has run off in hopes of being a hero.  
        _**"Kind of late for that. He's killed too many people." I said dismissively. "Why is he suddenly chasing this fantasy?"  
         ** _Reverie ran away.  
        _**"Wait, what? Seriously?" I exclaimed, shooting up from my bed. "What the fuck did he do?"   
         _ **Assigning blame is not helpful at this time, Jeffery.  
        **_"Fine. I'll go, only because I want to find her first." I said, throwing the covers off and getting up to dress myself.  
         **** _How very noble of you. Hurry, you may be able to catch up with him._  
        "Whatever." I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and grabbed my knife. Slender disappeared and I headed out to go find her. A part of me, deep, DEEP down, was actually pretty worried about the whole thing, and hoped she was safe. She wasn't bad company, and besides, without her, I'd have to find something else to piss Jack off with.

* * *

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

        I had been looking for Reverie for only about a half hour by the time Jeff caught up to me. He didn't seem at all concerned, just kind of inconvenienced.   
        "It's too fucking early for this, asshole." he bitched, confirming my previous assumption. I didn't care. I just had to find her.   
        "Then you should have stayed home."  
        "And let you have all the fun? No way. Besides, you'll probably need a mediator if you find her."  
        "What for?"  
        "Well, weren't you the one who fucked this up in the first place?" he asked, with surprisingly no note of condescension in his voice. I examined his expression to find it there, but he just raised his eyebrows, waiting for my answer.  
        "Slender doesn't think so." I said quietly.  
        "But what do  _you_  think?" he pressed.  
        I sighed. "Yeah. I think I am."  
        "What did you do?" I didn't respond. Part of me wanted to just blame him for all of this, thereby relieving myself of the guilt, but I knew I couldn't. It just hurt to think he had won her heart without even trying.  
        "I just.. pushed her too hard, I guess. She just isn't into me." I tried to mask the shame on my face with a dismissive shrug, but he didn't seem to buy it. I wouldn't either.   
        He sighed. "You know that's not true, dude. No female is that messed up over a change in a guy's attitude unless she really liked the first one."  
        "I don't know, man. She hasn't responded to me in the same way as she's responded to you."  
        "That's because she's not into me, bro."  
        "Why are you even trying to help me?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.   
        "Because I'm not into her, either." He said matter-of-factly. "Too.. virginy. And she's been your girl from the start, and as much as I hate losing, it was never my fight to compete in. I just wanted to get on your nerves, but this shit has gone too far."  
        "Then what was all that in the living room the other day?"  
        "Rough-housing. Nothing more."  
        I felt like an idiot. I had gotten all messed up over something before I had even known what it was. I had become possessive and rude. No wonder she was upset by that. I was the one guy she could trust, and then I had to go and fuck it up with my petty behavior.   
        Several meters ahead, I saw a body shrouded in the mist of the morning. My heart stopped.  
          _Why does this image feel somewhat familiar?_  
         _"Reverie!"_  I shouted, forgetting my thought and sprinting towards her in a panic. As I arrived at her side, I noticed that she was covered in blood that seeped from her jacket near her stomach. I put my ear to her chest; she was still breathing. She was just unconscious.   
        "Oh, fuck!" Jeff gasped as he finally caught up. He backed up a bit, shaken by the sight. "Is... Is she-"  
        "She's alive," I assured both him and myself. "She's alive."  
       He sighed with relief. "Well, then, wake her up!" he said, panic still escaping his voice. "Slap her or something!"  
        "I'm not going to slap her." I dismissed, shaking my head. I tapped her shoulder and called her name, and I could tell she was starting to come to.

* * *

**Reverie's Point of View**

        I woke up to see Jack kneeling beside me, smiling in relief.   
        "You're alive." he laughed gratefully.  
        "I'm alive." I assured him, my voice coming out raspy.  
        "What happened? Who hurt you?"  
        "I'm fine, don't worry about it."  
        "I'm going to worry about it, Reverie!" He laughed, his voice breaking a bit. "Don't fucking do this to me ever again." I laughed a bit myself. "I'm serious, Rev. Please. I need to know you're safe."  
        "Okay." I smiled, trying not to cry.  
        "Can I see the wound?" he asked almost timidly. I guess it might have been mildly awkward for him to lift my shirt to expose my midsection without permission.   
        "Yeah, go ahead." He did, blushing a bit as he moved my sweatshirt out of the way. "It isn't fatal, thank God."  
         _I know,_ I thought to myself.  
        "Let's get you home." He helped me up, then lifted me bridal style.   
        "I can walk, Jack."  
        "Please, it would make me feel better knowing for sure that you won't be passing out again this morning." I giggled and nodded as to grant him permission. I looked to The Jeff, who seemed pretty messed up. I reached out for his hand, and he shook it awkwardly. I laughed a bit, and he relaxed. Then we were on our way.


	12. XII

        I was half asleep in my bed that night when Jeff knocked at the door. "Hey, Rev, I'm coming in." He swung the door open. "Hope you're decent. Not that I care, but you might." He came in and sat down on the foot of the bed. I pulled the covers up to my neck, because I was, in fact, undressed.   
        "So where did you go on your little adventure?"  he asked, making himself comfortable. I decided to vision-sync with him, only to find he was looking at my bare shoulders and neck.  
        "You're staring, Jeffery." I noted.  
        He shrugged and redirected his gaze to my face. "Sorry." He didn't seem sorry. "Answer the question."  
        "Out." I answered vaguely.  
        "Out where?" he pressed. I hesitated. "I don't know why you would be afraid to tell me. I'm a psychotic serial killer."  
        "Fair point." I laughed. "I took a field trip to the evidence locker at the police headquarters."  
        "Ballsy. I dig it. What for?"  
        "Self-medication." I admitted.  
        "Aw, shit, dude, you never disappoint!" he exclaimed before I warned him to keep his voice down. He did. "Let me get in on that! What did you get?" he whispered excitedly.  
        "I actually don't know. I wasn't synced. Had to kill the guard and didn't have time to reposition him."  
        "Reposition him?" he asked.  
        "I can only see what the other person can see. So, like, if you're staring at my chest when I sync to you, I can only see my own chest and whatever is in your peripheral vision."  
        He laughed. "So, because he wasn't facing whatever you were doing, you couldn't see it?"  
        "Exactly."  
        "That blows."  
        "Hey, it's a Hell of a lot better that just being straight up blind." I laughed.   
         "Yeah, I guess. Let's see what you got!"  
        "My bag is in the closet." He did as I instructed and pulled the packages from my backpack. "It's like a pound of weed and a half a pound of coke." he told me.  
        "It'll do."  
        "You ever done this shit before?" he asked curiously.  
        "Not the coke, but I used to get marijuana a lot while I was on the streets. It's much easier to obtain." I explained. "But it's worth a try."  
        "Dude, first-timer? This is gonna be a blast. Get the fuck up, already!"  
        "Okay, dude, chill! Look away for a minute."  
        "Fine." he grinned. He kept watching me as I started to get out of bed.  
        "You know I can see you! Look away!" I snapped, covering my chest with my covers.  
        "Okay, okay." He turned away.  
        "What a gentleman." I mumbled, starting for the dresser to grab some clothes.  
        "Where?" he joked.  
        "Shut the fuck up, asshole." I laughed, pulling a giant t-shirt over my head. I completed the outfit with a pair of sweat-shorts and sat beside him on the mattress. "You can look now."  
        "Not gonna lie, I totally saw your rack."  
        "'Where?'" I mocked, pretending to search my chest. He laughed his ass off for like a minute straight, making me chuckle a bit, too. "You got a knife?" I asked after I pulled myself together a bit.  
        "Stupid question." He shook his head and pulled his knife from his sweatshirt pocket. He held out the knife, but immediately took it back protectively.  
        "Hand it over." I smiled.  
        "Be good to my baby." he said, handing me the blade reluctantly. I picked up the bag of cocaine and cut a small slit into one side, then poured a small pile of it onto the package of weed, using the package as a hardspace. Using the blade of the knife, I organized the cocaine into a few separate lines.   
        "I need a straw or some paper or something." I told Jeff.  
        "Lazy-ass." he muttered under his breath, leaving to find something we could use. He came back a moment later with a small piece of paper he had ripped off of a note pad. "This'll do." he said as he rolled it up into a straw.  
        "You do the honors." I said, gesturing for him to have the first go. I was not going to offer myself to look like an idiot. At least let him get high before he starts making fun of me.  
         He didn't mind going first at all. He leaned over and put the straw to his nose to snort the line of cocaine. In a mere second, he shot up and wiped his face, chuckling to himself. "I see you've had a bit of practice." I giggled.  
        "Hey, I've had my days, too, kid." he stated with a sad half-smile. It quickly returned to his normal insane grin as he gestured for me to go next. I did, and it hurt like a fucking bitch. I whined a bit, but it was combined with excited laughter. "You're a natural!" He applauded me.  I giggled and did a little bow. We repeated this process a few more times, finishing off the lines I had originally set out for us, and then doing a few additional ones.

* * *

  
        It felt like my heart was drumming a mile a minute and my head was spinning. Lights were brighter, sounds were louder, and touch was more exhilarating. I just wanted to fly! I could tell Jeff was feeling the same way, because his typical arrogant bravado was fading and morphing into a happy frenzy. We laughed at everything and even beat the fuck out of each other at one point. Don't ask, we were high.  
        Bruised and high, we rolled on the floor laughing together when I finally spoke up. "Tell me.." I broke off giggling. "Tell me about yourself, Jeffery." He rolled over and laughed at that.  
        "You don't need to know anything more. I'm pretty transparent!"  
        "Fine, we'll go back and forth answering questions, then."  
        "Deal. You first." he grinned.  
        I giggled. "How old were you when you killed your family?"  
        "Fourteen. Middle school is weird, dude. Not normally that weird, though!" he laughed. "Okay, my turn. How long have you been on the streets?"  
        "Um.. Forever?" I giggled. "I've never known anything else."  
        "Oh, shit! How the hell did you survive?"  
        "One day at a time, my friend. One day at a time."  
        "Damn." he exhaled. "Okay, your turn."  
        "Okay.. How long ago was your last relationship?"  
        He stopped laughing. "That is not an area of my life I take much pride in, Rev."  
        "Oh, just answer the question, you big baby."  
        "Fine." he huffed. "Between you and me, I've never had an actual romantic relationship."  
        "That amazes me. You're such a charmer!" I teased.   
        "Shut up!" he laughed, sitting up to beat me with a pillow. I laughed harder. "I'm definitely not a virgin, though." he grinned mischievously.   
        "Wow." I laughed. "That's better than nothing, I guess."  
        "You guess? Fuck, it's better than the alternative." he chuckled. "Relationships are overrated, sweetheart. Don't let that shit get in your way."  
        "I've never been involved in either one, so I'm not exactly missing out." I admitted.  
        "Wait, really?" he said, seemingly shocked.  
        "I have yet to meet another human who finds a lack of eyeballs sexy."  
        "I know someone who does!" he nudged me.   
        "Please don't say you."  
        "You wish." he laughed arrogantly. "I meant Jack."  
        "Let's not even go into that, please!" I shook my head frantically, giggling a bit.  
        "Too bad. My next question: When are you guys gonna hook up?"  
        "'Hook up'?"  
        "You know, do the nasty. Purple. Rock the bed." I looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Have sex." he said finally.  
        "Oh! Um, never? I don't know."  
        "You are such a virgin."  
        "Leave my sorry virgin ass alone!" I shoved him.   
        "Not likely." he teased. "You gotta figure that shit out, though, 'cause I don't think he can be patient much longer."   
        "Patient? I've lived here for like a month!"   
        "That's a long time for human males. We are like ticking time bombs."  
        "Oh yeah? How often do you get laid, then?"  
        "Often enough." he said quietly.  
        "When was the last time?"  
        He hesitated. "Last week."   
        "With who?" I said, surprised. "Have I met her?" I stopped to think for a moment. "Wait, that's a stupid question-"  
        "No actually, I think you have."  
        "Seriously?"  
        "Yeah, she lives here."  
        I shot up in horror. "YOU FUCKED SALLY? YOU FUCKING PERVERT! OH MY G-"  
        "JESUS, NO!" he laughed in pure shock and disgust, shaking his head . "Her name is Jane."  
        "Wait, what? Didn't you like, kill her family and friends as a child?"  
        "Hate sex is the best kind of sex." he laughed. "It was sort of a mutual understanding kind of thing."  
        "I know I'm no expert, but that's just weird, man."  
        He shrugged. "To each their own."  
        "Valid point. Okay, your turn, now."  
        He thought for a second. "Tell me a secret." I stared at him. "Anything. Just something you've never told anyone." I had to search the depths of my mind for that one.  
        "There's about a million things I've never told anyone, Jeff."  
        "I just need one. Something juicy, though."  
        "Well..." I thought, eventually deciding among the things we had already half-discussed so I wouldn't have to dig any deeper. "I've never kissed anyone."  
        "Wow, really? Not even a single kiss?"  
        "Never gotten close enough to anyone. No relationships, no sex, no kissing." I explained, feeling sort this concept was sort of self-explanatory. He stared at me for a moment. His expressionless face slowly transformed into a grin with some kind of an idea behind it.  
        "What?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.  
        "Someone is going to have to teach you how." he grinned mischievously. 

        "What are you suggesting, Jeffery?" 

         Not another word was said before he grabbed my waist, pulled me to him, and the space between our lips became nonexistent. I tensed up in surprise, but eventually gave up and melted into the kiss, mildly enjoying his somewhat-chapped lips against my own. He bit my bottom lip, and in my shock, I opened my mouth a bit, when he took the opportunity to force his tongue past my lips. I let him explore my mouth and used his techniques as a learning experience, practicing them on him in return. It was almost forceful how he clutched the hair on the back of my head and pressed his body against mine. As he became more and more aggressive, he pushed me back onto the floor and grabbed both of my wrists to pin them above my head. He climbed on top of me, placing each knee on the floor to either side of my waist. Suddenly, I realized I hadn't been breathing and gasped for air.   
        "Yeah, you need to remember to breathe before that happens." he spoke lowly and chuckled. "You're otherwise a pretty quick learner."  
        "Thanks," I blushed. "Is this lesson over yet?"  
        "Maybe for you, but not for me." he laughed, heading right back in for another taste of my lips. He was much more aggressive this time around, moving deliberately and firmly. He took both of my wrists in one hand, using the other to grasp the side of my thigh, causing me to sort of whimper at the pain. It was a good sort of pain, though; I couldn't decide if I wanted more of it. As if he had read my mind, he grabbed my wrists more tightly and brought his lips to the base of my neck to bite me. What I thought may be a cry in pain came out as a moan. Go figure. He laughed evilly and did it again, sucking on my skin viciously and hungrily. Another moan escaped my mouth and I arched my back, silently wishing he would release my hands. His free hand brought itself up to my breast, grasping it harshly. Another painful experience I had come to enjoy immensely. I allowed myself to gasp at the force and struggled against it in playful defiance. He held fast, refusing to grant my freedom. "You're not going anywhere." he informed me with a twisted smile.  
        "Good thing I don't really want to." I smiled back. I swiftly went for his exposed neck and dragged my tongue along the muscles gently. He exhaled softly. To tease him, I playfully nipped at his neck with my teeth, just gently enough not to cause him any pain. He growled under his breath and released my wrist to place both hands on my hips in one decisive motion. I leaped at the opportunity to lace my fingers in his long, rough hair at the nape of his neck. He kissed me again, biting my lips so hard I thought they might bleed. Then he tried to remove my shirt.  
        "I thought this was a kissing lesson, Jeffery." I said nervously.   
        "So did I, but I found that you are such a fast learner, we could expand into new subjects." he spoke in a low, seductive voice, sending a shiver down my spine.   
        "I don't know.."  
        "You don't have to know everything, sweetheart. Just do something impulsive for once." he breathed warmly against my neck. "You might be glad you did."  
        And for the first time since moving into Slender Mansion, I was.


	13. XIII

 I woke up the next morning feeling sore and utterly exhausted. As I rolled over to get out of bed, my arm grazed someone else's. I gasped and shot out of bed, before remembering what had happened the night before. I brought my hands to my face and groaned.   
         _I just lost my virginity to Jeff the Killer._  
        "Jeff, wake up." I whispered, shaking him a bit. He rolled over stubbornly. "Dude, come on, please."   
        "I'm tired." he whined.   
        I let out a sigh. "Me too." I flopped back down on the bed and covered my face in my hands. I felt so humiliated and ashamed. What was I thinking?   
        "Are you kicking yourself right now? I can feel your stress levels rising from here." he mumbled.  
        "No, why would I do that?" I lied.  
        "Has anyone ever told you that you're a shitty liar?"  
        I sighed. "Yes, several times."  
        "It's okay," he said yawning and rolling over to face me. "You haven't done anything wrong."  
        "That view is subjective."   
        "Yes, but think about it logically. What could you have possibly done that was so immoral? You're a grown woman, and you aren't even in a relationship. There is nothing wrong with accepting human desire."  
        I thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right."  
        "As always." He rolled onto his back and rstretched his arms. "What time is it?"  
        "I literally lack a pair of eyeballs, Jeffery."  
        "Fine. I'll be right back." he got up and put on his clothes at a leisurely pace. He left the room and came back a minute later to tell me it was 1:45. I jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes myself.

* * *

  
        For the remainder of the day, I had the immense burden of anxiety and pure shame. For example:  
        Jack greeted me when I sat on the couch. "Hey, Rev, how was your night?"  
        "It was, fine... Why do you ask? Is there a problem?"   
        All the while I'm sitting there screaming internally, " _Oh my fucking god he knows! I'm a terrible person!"  
        _He seemed confused _._ There was nothing abnormal about this conversation to him. "Um, no? Just a question.."  
        I laughed to mask my relief. "Oh, aha, yeah.. A question.."  
  
        And then..  
  
        Later on, as I was sulking alone in the kitchen, Laughing Jack approached me. "Hello, darling, would you like some candy? You look like you could use a sugar high."  
        Of course, I acted as conspicuously as humanly possible. "Why would I need to be high? Do you think I get high often? Do I seem addicted to you?"  
        Laughing Jack just raised his hands as if to surrender, backing away slowly.  
  
        Yeah. I may as well walk around with a neon sign that reads "ASK ME ABOUT MY EXPERIENCES WITH COCAINE".

* * *

 **Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

         _Is it bad that I'm kind of enjoying the fact that she is so hysterically terrified about this whole thing?  
        _I ascended the stairs to her room. I knocked on the door. Immediately, acting as paranoid as ever, she demanded to know who stood at the other side of the door.   
        "It's Jack! I know what you did last night!" I teased, doing my best EJ impression.  
        I laughed the whole time as she swung the door open, grabbed me by the front of my hoodie, and pulled me inside.  
        "What the fuck are you thinking?! Someone could've heard you!"   
        "It's not that serious, honey."  
        "It is!" she screeched. Then, realizing she was being louder than she felt was a safe decibel, she brought her voice down to a whisper. "It  _is_  that serious, Jeffery. I like living here, and I would like to continue to live here. If Slenderman finds out what happened and dislikes how much trouble I may be causing, he may have me leave."  
        "Reverie, you're being ridiculous."  
        "No, you're just being ignorant!"  
        I put my hands on her shoulders and stared deep into her frantic eyes. "Reverie, Slender reads minds. With how much thought you've been putting into this, he must already know." What little color she had within her face drained instantly at the sound of these words. "Okay?" I said calmly, doing my best not to be a dick for once. "If he were going to do something, he would have done it already. You  _know_  that." She stood there, still seemingly horrified. "Say something." I commanded.  
        "If he knows, what if he tells Eyeless Jack?" she said almost inaudibly.  
        "Slender's not much of a gossip." I chuckled.  
        "But he's not a liar, either."  
        "Reverie, sweetheart, you're overthinking this." I sighed. "What can I say to make you stop freaking about all this?" She bowed her head and shook it. "Please try to just forget about it."  
        Apparently those were the wrong words.   
        " _'Forget about it?'_ Is it that simple to you, Jeffery? You just forget about it?!" She sounded offended, I think. I searched the depths of my mind for the correct thing to say to a woman you just banged. I wish I possessed the capacity to understand how she must've felt, but I just didn't.  
        "Please tell me that you don't see what we did as a romantic thing." As the words left my lips, for once, I actually knew how terrible they must have sounded. She looked as if she had been shot, but a second or two later, her expression completely erased itself and formed another, which I couldn't decipher. She raised her eyebrows, blinked a few times and bit her lip. If she had eyes, it may have been easier to read.   
        "No. No, I know it wasn't." she said simply. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I guess you're right, I'm acting crazy."  
        I wanted to say:  _'_ _No, Reverie! That was incredibly insensitive of me, and I'm glad we shared that time together last night! You aren't crazy, I am!' ...._ But of course I didn't. How could I? I am just a stupid, heartless prick.  
        "Yeah. Cool, yeah, whatever." I said instead, sounding one-hundred and ten percent like a fucking moron. I kicked myself internally in those horribly drawn-out seconds before she began to speak. When it seemed like she was finally about to, there was a knock at the door.  
        "Rev?" Eyeless called. He knocked again. She screamed silently with her facial expression. Her gaze darted around the room as if she were looking for something, until it eventually landed on the closet and she motioned for me to get inside. I looked at her as if she was, indeed, crazy, but she seemed insistent. Simply because I was still hating myself for what I had said, I did as she asked. She shooed me into the small space and closed the door behind me. I watched through the shutters of the closet door as she opened hers to address Jack.

        "Hello, Jack. What can I do for you?" she said conspicuously. He pushed past her and sat on the bed as he spoke.  _Asshole,_ I thought, smiling.  
        "Just thought I'd check in on you. You seem a little anxious."   
        "I'm fine." she dismissed, speaking far too quickly.   
        "You sure?" he asked semi-suspiciously.   
        "Yes, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"  _She is so obvious! God, that girl kills me sometimes.  
        _He sighed and patted the bed next to him. She hesitated, but did sit down on the bed beside him. He draped one arm over her shoulder, causing her to visibly tense up. I held back the urge to laugh out loud.   
        "You know I really care about you, right?" he said quietly, like the sensitive little prick he is. She nodded. "Because I really hate it when you lie to me." he smiled. I actually felt kind of bad for the guy. Dare I say he really did  _love_  the girl, and there I was, hiding in her closet.  
        "I'm sorry." she said sadly, hanging her head in what must have been a sickening level of shame.  
        He smiled and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. "It's okay, Reverie. I know you don't mean it. I know you better than that."  
        My first thought: " _Aw, fuck.. I'm sorry, Jack."_  
        My second thought: "... _Oh, Jesus, does he know??"  
        _"Yeah, you know me too well." she laughed sadly.   
        "I won't push you." he said, standing up and turning to leave. "Don't hesitate to come talk to me when you're ready, okay?" She nodded. He left and closed the door behind him.  
        I emerged from the closet a few seconds later and just kind of stared at her. She didn't even glance at me. I wanted to say something,  _anything,_  to let her know how I felt, and that I cared how she felt. Once again, I couldn't.  
        She finally looked up at me, her face drowning in horrible regret, when she held the door open, motioning for me to leave.


	14. XIV

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

        I sat alone in my room that night, trying my best to figure out what the Hell I was feeling. This, of course, was not my first choice. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't talk to anyone. Whatever it was, I just couldn't get over it.  This had been my last resort, but I decided to try just laying out each of my thoughts and feelings into a list. Believe it or not, I'm no expert at sorting through my emotions.  
 _ **1\. I feel bad about going for Reverie after I had told Jack I didn't intend to.**  
 **2\. I feel bad for being insensitive about Reverie's feelings on the issue. She has every right to feel as bad as I do about what happened.**  
 **3\. But I don't WANT Reverie to feel bad about what happened. She is actually a pretty decent person and I wish she didn't have to feel guilty.**  
 **4\. Even though I feel horrible about the consequences, I do not regret sleeping with Reverie in any way.**  
 **5\. I am not in love with her.**  
        _ I paused to think about that last one for a moment.  
 __ **6. ~~I am not in love with her.~~  I don't think I'm in love with her.**

        I held my face in my hands and furiously tried to understand my emotions. I honestly just wanted to say "fuck it" and have a mental outburst, but I reluctantly decided not to. If I don't figure this bullshit out, I'll never be able to relax.  
         So I reluctantly started another list.  
 _ **1\. I enjoy Reverie's company, and I want to keep spending time with her.**  
 **2\. I immensely enjoyed having sex with her.**  
         Seriously, it was great. For a virgin, she really knows how to..  
       _  I snapped myself out of it and forced my head back in the game. _I need to look deeper...  
 **3\. I hate seeing her sad.**  
       _  I surprised myself with that one _. Huh. The more you know.  
 **4\. I experience an extreme sense of jealousy when I see her with Jack, but that may also be just me feeling territorial.**  
 **5\. I had never truly cared about how another person felt before I met her.**  
     _    I cringed as the next thought occurred to me _.  
 **6\. I have never actually been in love, so I wouldn't necessarily know if I was in love with Reverie now.**_  
        I felt really embarrassed for admitting these things to myself, but I tried to remind myself that it was ONLY to myself. I said this to myself like a mantra and recollected my thoughts to do my best to expand upon that last thought.  
 _ **1\. I am not certain that I want to see her end up with Jack, but again, I have a history of being territorial.**  
        _I decided to try and figure it out.  _What is the difference between being jealous and being territorial?  
        _After considering it, I decided that being jealous was to want what is not yours, where being territorial was to protect what you see as already being yours.  
        So, the answer to that created another question: Did I see her as mine?  
 _ **1\. I have kissed and had sex with her. Jack has not, but he has had real, emotional conversations with her. I don't think I have.**_  
 _ **2\. She perplexes me and fascinates me. I want to know more about her. I must have thought about her for hours the night of the first killing spree! I don't know if he does this or not.**_  
 _ **3\. When she is sad, Jack comforts her. I have not yet found it in me to try this, though at times, I really want to.**_  
 _ **4\. When he touches her, I don't get sad, I get angry.**_    
 _ **5\. This started from the moment she moved in.**_  
        I thought about the points on the current list, and I decided I was just feeling territorial. I guess a part of me still sees her as my victim. I actually felt kind of disappointed to come to that conclusion.  _Did I want to be in love with her? Had I even dismissed the possibility of that yet?_  
        By that point, I had become too frustrated and decided it was time to sleep. I just wanted to forget about it.   
         _That was exactly what I had told her to do, to just forget about it. She was right. It isn't that simple, is it?_  
        

 

 

        Needless to say, I did not end up sleeping that night.


	15. XV

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

         _She has been in her room for days. She hasn't come out even once to socialize, do laundry, or eat. I promised I wouldn't push her, but I am definitely concerned about her. I can hear her move around in her room occasionally, so I know she's still here, but I'm worried nonetheless. I hope it wasn't my fault._

* * *

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

_Several times, I have considered going to check on her, but I can't bring myself to do it. I've done enough to hurt her. I wouldn't be surprised if she hates me.  
        _I sulked for a few more minutes before I decided I was being a pussy. She had access to pretty hardcore drugs up in her room. If she overdosed and I didn't check simply because I was too  _afraid_ , I couldn't live with myself.

* * *

**Reverie's Point of View**

        For the first time in like a week, there was a knock at the door. I must have looked like a fucking disaster. I hadn't eaten or showered or even slept. I decided I had no reason to care how I looked to anyone else, and got up to open the door.  
         Jeff took one look at me and pushed past me into the room, shutting the door behind him. He stood in front of me and just stared. He didn't look angry or even concerned, but kind of a mix of the two. He appeared to be looking for what to say. Did I look that bad?  
         Finally he huffed and shook his head, then left the room. I shrugged and sat back down on my bed, not knowing if he'd even cone back. A few minutes later, he did with a towel and a slice of pizza.   
        "I'm no doctor, but I think it's safe to say that you are already dead." He smiled sadly. "But seriously, you need to eat."  
        "You can't just force food into an empty stomach after it has had nothing in it for this long." I said, unintentionally sounding like a bit of a bitch.  
        "That's why I brought a  _slice_  of pizza rather than the whole fucking refrigerator. Believe me, after taking one look at you, I seriously considered it." He held the plate out, and I took it. I stared at the slice, and he gave me an insistent look. Reluctantly, I took a small bite of the pizza and swallowed.  
        "One more." he commanded. I obeyed, and he seemed appeased. He threw the towel over my shoulder. "Now, a shower."  
        "I don't want to."  
        "You have to. Go." he pointed towards the bathroom door. I sighed and headed in the given direction.  
        I stopped at the door. "Why?" I asked.  
        "Because any longer, and we'll need to replace the soap and water with gasoline and a flamethrower."  
        "I mean why are you doing this?"  
        He paused and thought for a second. "Because someone needs to."  
        "It doesn't need to be you, Jeffery." I said, not understanding why he felt the responsibility was his.  
        "You're right, it doesn't," he replied before I had even had the chance to fully exhale. "But it is, and neither of us can change that." I stood, searching for a way to respond to such a strong statement. What did he mean?  
        "Now stop bitching and take a shower." he insisted. I obeyed again, shutting the bathroom door and locking it.

* * *

        "Jeffery?" I called cautiously after my shower, cracking the door into my room. The towel was wrapped around me, but I had forgotten to grab fresh clothing.  
        "I'm still here." he answered.  _Awe, he waited.._  
        "Can you grab me some clothes?"  
        "Yeah." I heard him open the dresser drawers. "What exactly?"  
        "It doesn't matter."  
        "Said no woman ever." he laughed. "Okay, I have a shirt and a pair of shorts, but I don't know what to do about underwear and shit like that."  
        "You're going through my underwear?" I snapped.  
        "Relax, it's not like I'm smelling them or anything! I just need to know what to grab." he defended. I scoffed. "Unless, of course, you would like to come out here and do it yourself." he teased.  
        "You would like that wouldn't you, Jeffery?" I groaned, rolling my eyes.  
         "I wouldn't  _complain_." he laughed.  
         "You are so annoying." I chuckled. "Just pick something. Get a bra while you're at it." He brought a pile of clothes to the cracked door, trying to peek in. I took the clothes and smacked his empty hand. He walked away laughing to himself. I rolled my eyes, thanked him briefly, and shut the door again. As I examined his choices, I noticed it was a simple tank, a pair of spandex shorts, and a lacy bra and matching thong.  
        "Jeffery, what the hell is this?" I called.  
        "What is what?" he asked innocently.  _Maybe he really didn't know the difference.._  
        I sighed. "Nothing."  
        Once I was properly clothed, I opened the door into my bedroom, where Jeffery had made himself at home by sprawling out on my bed.  
        "Comfy?" I giggled.  
        "Always." he said. "Brush your teeth and everything?"  
        "Yes, mother." I laughed. "You know, for a serial killer, you seem very hygienic."  
        "Hey, I'm fucking beautiful, but this shit doesn't just happen." he grinned, doing a little hair flip. "We can't all start out this good looking."  
        "I know what you mean." I laughed. He squinted at me and opened his mouth to speak, but apparently decided against it, shaking his head to dismiss the unspoken thought.   
        He changed the subject quickly. "So what is it that kept you up here for so long?" he asked, arising a scoff from me. "Humor me." he said, rolling his eyes. "I never promised to be an expert on women."  
        "Then how could you possibly hope to understand?" I retorted. He sighed and sat up.  
        "Humor me." he repeated.  
        I sighed. "I can't face him." I said simply, throwing my hands up and plopping on the bed beside him.  
        "See, that I understand." he pointed out. "I can see why you would feel that way. Believe it or not.." he stopped, breaking off the end of his sentence.  
        "What?" I pressed.  
        He sighed reluctantly. "Believe it or not, I feel pretty guilty myself."  
        "Really?" I asked, genuinely surprised.  
        He shook his head, confusing me. "Don't take it too close to heart, though. It's probably some fluke in nature or something." he stated firmly, if not aggressively. I nodded in confirmation, though I was still a little lost. "But really, I get it." he said more quietly. "You shouldn't disregard your health for it, though, Rev."  
        "Yeah, I know."  
        "No, you don't, because if you did, you wouldn't have locked yourself in your room for eight days." he reprimanded angrily. Then he sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. "Why did you do that, Reverie? Don't you know people are worried about you?"  
        "Like who?" I laughed obnoxiously.  
        He hesitated. "Like... Jack." he said eventually, but with zero confidence in his voice. "He has been really worried about you, and he's thought a lot about you and shit. You scared him." He sighed again. "He wants to know when you aren't feeling okay, so he can help if possible."  
        I smiled faintly and hung my head a bit, still looking at him. "Then why hasn't he told me?"  
        "Because he's nervous." he said quickly. Too quickly. "He's been too afraid to talk to you about it, because he doesn't want to look like a little bitch by admitting his feelings.. Or that he even  _has_  feelings." he shook his head, with a hint of shame in his voice. I knew then that we were no longer talking about Jack. I felt bad for Jeff, but I knew better than to push him. He had already confessed to more than he felt comfortable with, even though he had done it by hiding behind the persona of Eyeless Jack.  
        "Well, then tell  _Jack_  that I'm always here to talk to him, not just when I need him, but also whenever he needs me." I smiled.  
        "Yeah." he scratched his head uncomfortably. "Yeah, I'll tell him."  
        "Thanks, Jeff. Means more to me than you know." I smiled, going in for a hug. He hesitated, but he eventually hugged me back.

* * *

**Jeff's Point of View**

         _She understood exactly what I was saying. She was so cool about it, too. She didn't judge me, and she even made me feel more.. comfortable, dare I say. Throughout this whole time I've gotten to know her, she has done nothing but make my smile bigger (whenever she isn't scaring the absolute fuck out of me). She is funny, and sweet, and smart, and obnoxious, and talented, and strong, and crazy, and I am inevitably, inexplicably, stupidly in love with her.  
        Sorry, Jack, but you just can't have her now._


	16. XVI

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

        When she finally came out, she came out with Jeff. Yes, that bothered me. Though it drove me absolutely bat shit crazy on some levels, my brain told me to relax about the whole thing. If I wanted to fill the position of her  _boyfriend_ , the opening to be her  _best friend_  may have to be filled elsewhere. But still, why did it  _have_  to be  _him_?  
        A few days later, I decided it was coming time to make an actual move, not like the one I made during "Operation Asshat". That one hadn't gone at all as well as I had hoped.  
        When I came down from my room to socialize that day, I sat myself next to Reverie on the floor of the living room, where she was perched comfortably and adorably, if I might add. She smiled faintly upon my arrival, but said nothing. She immediately resumed watching BEN play  _Slender: The Eight Pages._ She seemed very amused by the concept of Slenderman reformed into pixels, but she had yet to see him as the horrifying monster that the humans have depicted him as, so she didn't really grasp the concept of the game.  
        "So, why are we running from him?" she asked.  
        "Because he will kill us if we don't." BEN replied, laughing.  
        "More like he'll make us do the dishes for the rest of the week." Jeff joked, making BEN and Reverie laugh.  
        I laughed, too, trying not to feel jealous. It was stupid of me to feel that way. Just because she laughs at his jokes does not make them an item, but I still struggle to battle my emotions with logic sometimes. I dared to rest my hand on her waist, which genuinely felt like the entry into uncharted enemy territory. She tensed up a bit initially, but did not take long to relax.  _Thank God._  
        "Oh, fuck, there he is! RUUUUUNNN!" she screamed, laughing her ass off the whole time. The other guys chimed in and freaked out as BEN raced away from Slender on screen. Slender appeared in the living room and stood silently, realizing what they had all been playing. The group went quiet themselves, waiting for a response.  
        BEN had stopped running in the game, and when digital Slender reappeared, Slender chimed in, answering the question we had all been thinking. "RUN, CHILD, RUN!!!" his expressionless face erupted. Of course, we all bursted out in surprised joy as BEN did as he had been instructed by the almighty Slendy. Slenderman then placed himself on the couch next to BEN and watched as well.  
         Gradually, Sally, Jane,  the proxies Hoodie and Masky, and Laughing Jack joined us in the living room to watch BEN play, chiming in with laughter. Occasionally, we made small jokes at Slenderman, which he learned to accept, and eventually retaliate with jokes of his own. We all must've laughed together for hours. Sally sat on Reverie's lap, Hoodie and Masky piled onto the couch beside their Operator, Laughing Jack sat with me, and Jane (to all of our amazement) sat next to Jeff. We had never done this before. Sometimes, just one person can unite an entire army. It felt good, and only made me love her more.

* * *

**Reverie's Point of View**

        I was so incredibly happy that day. Regardless of the pubescent boy drama that had been occurring over the past several weeks, if even for just a moment, everything felt simple. I was surrounded by those who I cared most about, and even formed a few new relationships with the other residents of Slender Mansion. We were all united for once. It was easily one of the best days of my life. I felt like, for the first time, I finally had a family. I wish every day could be just like that one.

* * *

        Later on that night, I woke to a knock on the door.   
        "Who is it?" I groaned, still half asleep.  
        "It's me." Eyeless Jack replied from the other side of the door. "Mind if I come in?"  
        I got up and opened the door, gesturing towards the inside of my bedroom. He nodded in thanks as he entered. He sat at the foot of my mattress and smiled. I closed the door and sat on the floor beneath to face him. "You okay?" I asked.  
        "Yeah, I'm sorry to wake you." I shook my head to tell him it was no trouble. "I just really wanted to see you."  
        "Is something wrong?"  
        "Nothing's  _wrong_ , exactly, I just wanted to talk to you."  
        "Oh, God, am I in trouble?"  
        He laughed. "Why does it always have to be something negative with you?" My face went red with shame. He noticed this and immediately tried to console me. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you seem kind of jumpy lately, that's all. I was just teasing you." I blinked for a second, but nodded my head in confirmation as soon as I understood his concept.  
        "Sorry. So what is it, then?" I asked tentatively.   
        "Can we talk about something kind of touchy?" he asked, nervously scratching his upper arm.   
        "We can talk about just about anything, Jack." I assured him.  
        "Okay." He took a deep breath. "I know how you feel about the whole 'bad boy' maneuver I pulled a few weeks ago.."  
        "Yeah, please don't do that again."   
        "I won't," he promised, laughing uncomfortably. "But you said something that day that kind of sent me spinning a little bit."  
        "Which thing? You mean that thing about not calling me 'princess', I believe it was?" I recalled, nudging him playfully.  
        "In my defense, there are many girls out there who find that to be a term of endearment." he laughed. "But no. I meant when you said that you wanted the real me."  
        "Oh, yeah, your attitude reconstruction really threw me for a loop, dude."  
        "I know, but did you mean it?"  
        "Mean what?"  
        "That you wanted me?" he blurted out. I blushed. I had no idea how to respond to that truthfully without telling him what happened with Jeff. As we had already established, I am a horrible liar.  
        "Yes." I said quietly.  
        "Really? I mean, are we on the same page here?"  
        "What page are you on, exactly?" I asked, trying not to allow my anxiety bleed through my cheeks.  
        He took another deep breath and took a moment to collect his thoughts. Finally he let it out. "I really, REALLY care about you, Rev. I know I must have said that about a million times already, but it's so true. You are pretty and smart and funny and an all-around great person. I find myself wanting to be around you always, and even if you don't feel the same way, I just wanted to let you know that I really like you, Reverie. Like a lot."  
        In that moment, I just wanted to die. I felt so horribly guilty! There was a wonderful, charming boy right before my eyes, and all I had done was lie to him. I really did care about him, but I was so overwhelmed by shame, I couldn't really say whether or not I felt the same way for him.  
        "Jack, I need to tell you something.." I said quietly.  
        "Anything." He looked at me with that sweet face of his, and my heart simply broke.  _Do I have the strength to hurt him?  
        _"I.. I.." I sighed. "I really care about you, too, Jack."  _Apparently not.  
        _"Is that all?" he asked sadly.  
        "No! God, no." I reassured him. "No, that's not all, I swear. You are such an incredible guy, and a wonderful friend-"  
        "Oh, my fucking God, please do not friend-zone me right now."  
        "I'm not!" I laughed nervously. "I just.. I'm so lost right now. Part of me really does feel the same way, but I don't know enough about people in general yet to start a relationship with anyone. Please try to understand."  
        He said nothing. Instead, he just flopped onto his back with his face in his hands and sighed.  
        "Please say something, Jack."  
        "I don't know what to say anymore, Reverie." he said exasperatedly. "I really have been trying to take things slow with you, but it's been over two months and I'm starting to feel like I'm running in circles here."  
        "I didn't ask you to try so hard!"  
        "No, you didn't, I just gave you that respect on my own terms like a nice guy should. We really do finish last, don't we?"  
        "What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked angrily.  
        "I mean that the second Jeff made a move, you would be all over him." My mouth dropped. "Tell me I'm wrong!" he challenged.  
        "What are you talking about, Jack?" I asked quietly.  
        "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Reverie. You don't think I see the way you look at him?" I sighed with relief. He didn't know.  
        "And what way is that?"  
        "Tell me I'm wrong." he repeated, ignoring my question.  
        "You're wrong." I said firmly.  
        "Oh, really? How?"   
        "It's not about you, Jack. Like I already told you, I just can't see you that way right now, but I haven't eliminated the possibility of us ever becoming something more than friends. Please, just give me the opportunity to figure it out!" He laughed obnoxiously, shaking his head. "What?" I asked, offended.  
        "Is that not exactly what Slender said to you?"  
        My mouth dropped. Mentally, I had just fucking lost it. I couldn't believe he had said that and used my trust in him against me.  
        I shook my head, laughing out loud at his audacity. "Get out." I stood up. He just sat there and gawked at me. "I said.. Get out." I repeated, doing my best to stay calm.  
        "Reverie, don't be like that."  
        "I will be whatever way I fucking please, Eyeless Jack, and let me tell you something: if you really cared for me as much as you said, you would never have thought to betray my trust the way you just did. A  _friend_  would never do that, let alone a  _boyfriend_. So whatever chance you had a moment ago, you just fucking blew it. The mere thought of letting you know any more about me makes me absolutely sick."  
        "Reverie, please-"  
        "Absolutely not. This conversation is over, and I have no desire to speak to you ever again as it stands, so do yourself a favor, and GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM!"  
        In that very instant, the door flew open. There was no one behind it, and neither of us had moved. He stared at the open door in amazement, but I was simply too furious to care.   
        "You did that." he said, fear escaping his voice.  
        "Get out. Now." I warned.   
        He shook his head. "No, you need to hear what I have to say." he insisted, stepping towards me.  
         _"I don't need anything from you!"_ I shrieked, and the dresser fell over along with the nightstand and the lamp on top of it. It was like the whole room was quaking. Slenderman appeared in the room and grabbed me with one of his tendrils, and everything went black.

* * *

        I woke up on the ground outside. Slenderman stood over me silently.  
        "What happened?" I sobbed.  
         _ **You need to learn to control it, child.  
        **_"I don't even know what 'it' is!"  
         ** _You have displayed signs of possessing telekinesis, or the power to move things with your mind. If you remember, you have had it since you were a child._**

* * *

(Nine Years Ago)

    _"Freak!" the little boy laughed._  
        "Leave me alone!" my childish voice cried.  
        "Make me!" The boy pushed me as his friends laughed, backing him up.  
        "I don't want to!" I sobbed.   
        The boy pushed me again, this time knocking me off of my feet. I sat there on the ground, sobbing helplessly. No one would help me. No one cared to. I was a monster.   
        "Get up, freak!"  
        I became angry. I moved the boy with my mind alone. He floated high above the ground. He screamed, alerting a nearby adult. As the adult ran to him, I strangled him. He was dead before the woman could reach me.

* * *

  
        "I remember it now." I said solemnly, tears streaming down my face.  
         _ **It is very important that you learn to control it, if not contain it entirely. It is very dangerous when mixed with too many strong emotions.  
        **_"I'm tired of having to contain everything, Slender!"  
         _ **You could hurt someone if you are not careful.  
        **_"Hurt someone? Someone could hurt me! If you haven't noticed, this is a house full of murderers!"  
         ** _No one will hurt you here, child. You know I would never allow it.  
        _**"Stop calling me that!" I shouted. "Wake up! I'm a grown woman, now, Slender!"  
         **** _Really? Because you are definitely not acting like one._  
        It was like something had snapped. If I couldn't trust Slender, I couldn't trust anyone. In my anger, I attempted to push him telekinetically, but he didn't budge. Instead he went into his attack position, in which his mouth unhinged to reveal his set of pointed teeth, and his tendrils formed limbs like that of a spider. With one tendril, he grabbed me by the neck and lifted me several feet off of the ground, strangling me. I struggled for air, but his grip was relentless. Just as the world around me was disappearing, I heard Jeff run outside.  
        "LET HER GO!" Jeff shouted.  
        Slender screeched at and ear-splitting pitch as if to warn his prey, but did as he was asked. I collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Jeff ran to me and held me by the shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked, frightened.  
        I could do nothing but gasp for air in response. He stood and faced Slenderman, who had already assumed his neutral form.  
        "What the fuck are you doing?!" Jeff demanded.          
        "Miss Reverie.. I am so sorry-" Slenderman apologized carefully, obviously horrified with himself.  
        "Sorry?! Oh my God, that is not even close to enough!" he shouted furiously, outraged and shocked at Slenderman's actions against one of his own. Jeff reached his arms under me and lifted me to take me inside.   
        "I'm sorry.." Slender said quietly, just before the door had slammed behind us.


	17. XVII

        "Are you okay? What happened? Did he hurt you?" Jeff frantically bombarded me with questions and assessing me for wounds as I just sat on my bed still trying to comprehend everything that had just happened.  
        "I'm fine," I said, my voice still a little raspy from coughing. "Just a little shaken up."  
        "What happened?" he interrogated.  
        "I'm not quite sure."  
        "Give me a list of events then!"  
        "Well.." I began. "I got into a bit of an argument with Jack."  
        "That was not 'a bit of an argument'. I could hear shit slamming from downstairs." he sighed with concern. "Did he hurt you?"  
         "Not physically, no.."

  
        "I will address the emotional damage later. What was all the noise about?"

  
        "That's where I get a little lost." I faced him. "The door... And the dresser.. They moved on their own."

  
        "What do you mean they moved on their own?"

  
        "Well, not on their  _own_ , exactly.  _I_  moved them I think. Like with my mind."

  
        He just stared at me for a second, his mouth poised to speak at any moment, but he appeared to be at a loss for words. 

  
        "You moved it." he said finally.

  
        "Yeah, I guess so. Slender says I've had it since I was a kid."

  
        "Where did he get involved in this whole thing?"

  
        "He pulled me out when I started moving shit. I guess he thought I was going to hurt Jack." I hung my head in shame. "I don't think I was going to."

  
        "Is that why Slender attacked you?" 

  
        "No, not necessarily. I got mad and tried to push him telekinetically. It didn't work, but I guess it pissed him off."

  
        "That's when?" he asked sadly.

  
        "That's when."

  
        He sighed and sat beside me on the bed, draping one arm over my shoulders and pulling me into him. I rested my head on his chest as he caressed my hair. Still, I felt unsafe. Not because of him, or Jack, or even Slenderman, but because of me. I don't  _think_  I was going to hurt Jack. But I didn't  _know_ , either.

  
        "What did Jack say?" Jeff asked softly.

  
        "He just.. brought something up at the wrong time." I shook my head.

  
        "Does he know?"

  
        "I don't think so. He was pretty mad; I think he would've brought it up if he had known. Although I did have to fight the urge to tell him purely out of spite."  
        "Harsh." he laughed. "You didn't though, right?" he inquired nervously.

  
        "No." I said with a little smile. "Why, you ashamed or something?"

  
        "You know that's not true, I just don't need him trying to stab me every time I turn my back." 

  
        "True that." I grinned. 

  
        " _Definitely_  not ashamed." he emphasized. I blushed. "Are you scared?" he seemed to ask out of nowhere.

  
        "What?"

  
        "Are you scared? Like, of your ability?"

  
         _Not scared, fucking terrified._  "Should I be?" 

  
        "Not necessarily, but I could see why you might be." he laid himself down on his back, lacing his fingers behind his head.

  
        "You could?" I asked gratefully.

  
        "Yeah, sure, I could. I mean, how well can you control it?"

  
        I shrugged. "Apparently not well. I vaguely remember using it as a child, and I seemed to know what I was doing."

  
        "That's something." he nudged me encouragingly with his knee. "No reason you can't learn again."

  
        "Yeah, you're right." I sighed with relief.  _Someday, I won't have to worry about hurting the people I care for._

  
        "Of course I am. Name a time I  _wasn't!"_

  
        "Hey, do you remember that time when you attacked me out of nowhere in the middle of the woods and cut the side of my face?" I asked sarcastically.

  
        "You must be thinking of someone else." he denied jokingly, darting his eyes back and forth. I laughed. "Sorry about that, though."

  
        "It's okay, it wouldn't be the first time I was attacked for no reason by some asshole I'd never met." I grinned broadly.

  
        "Well that kind of blows."

  
        "Kind of does." I allowed. "But it's fine."

  
        "Not really, I mean, how often did that shit happen, Rev?" he asked, obviously afraid to know the answer.

  
        "Do you  _really_  want to know?"

  
        "Tell me anyway."

  
        I thought for a second. "In an easy month, it would happen at least twice."

  
        "Are you fucking serious?"

  
        "Yeah! it's like they'd never seen a girl with no eyes before!" I joked. "But actually, it had nothing to do with that for the most part. Living in the streets is no walk in the park. Except for when it was, because I was sleeping in them."

  
        "I'm serious!" he laughed. "Humans are fucking horrible."

  
        "Not always." I contradicted. "I've had some good experiences."

  
        "Really? When?"

  
        I found myself lost in thought for a moment. "I don't remember... That's so weird, I just had something!"

  
        "Well, from what I saw, Slender got you pretty good." He grimaced, sitting back up to check on me. "You know, in times like this, you check the person's pupils for signs of a concussion."

  
        "Sorry to disappoint."

  
        "Yeah, it's a real inconvenience, bitch!" he laughed, rubbing my shoulder to contradict his words. "Don't sleep just in case, okay?"

  
        "Well, it's probably like five o'clock by now, so I don't see a point in trying anyhow."

  
        "Good. Coffee, then?"

  
        "Let's go." He helped me up and led me downstairs.

* * *

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

        I hoped she didn't notice, but I was actually really messed up about that whole thing with Slender.  _What the fuck was his deal?_  I had never seen him like that before. Sure, he's been angry before, but he was in full-on attack mode. He tried to fucking strangle one of the people he called his  _children;_  one of the ones he cared for most. And he didn't seem to know what had come over him, either.That, I think, was what bothered me most.  
        We made it down to the kitchen, and I started to make some coffee. "Tell me something else about your childhood." I suggested, beginning to wash the coffee pot.  
        "Why?" she asked suspiciously.  
        "Because I am intrigued by it." I said simply. "More interesting than mine, that's for sure."  
        "I disagree."  
        "How? Yours was obviously more eventful." I turned to look at her, fully perplexed.  
        "I can't even comprehend what yours might've been like. You say it was normal, but your definition of the word is different from mine." she explained. "Your childhood intrigues me."  
        "Wow. Okay, we'll take turns then. You first, 'cause I'm awesome."  
        "That's hardly fair." she smiled.  
        "Okay, then because I asked nicely."  
        "I don't remember you doing that at all, actually." she teased.  
        I chuckled. "Please."  
        "Because you asked so nicely, I will grant your request." she grinned. Her smile was so pretty. "I can't seem to remember much before I was about thirteen. I get flashes of memories every so often, but they occur when they want to."  
        "Thirteen is a fun year."  
        "Don't get me started." she giggled. "It's your turn."  
        "Fine. Um.. I grew up in a house with my mother, father, and brother."  
        "A house? Where?" She seemed so excited by such a bland topic. It was so funny to me, but she really likes to learn, I guess.  
        "We moved a lot. We didn't stay in one place for very long periods of time."  
        "Why is that?"  
        "My dad worked a lot, I guess. I don't really remember, I just know he was following his work." I shrugged. "Wait, it's my turn! No freebies!"  
        "Aw, come on!"  
        "Nope! Damn cheater." I laughed "Do you remember your parents?"  
        "No. When I was thirteen, I was already on my own."  
        "What about school?"  
        "What about it?"  
        "Did you ever go?"  
        "Not as far as I remember."  
        "Can you read and write?"  
        "Didn't you just lecture me about freebies?"  
        "Consider this your reimbursement."  
        "Fine. Yes, I can. I'm self-taught, but there are definitely things I can't do. I learn from experience, so if I've never had the chance to see it during my time on the streets, it doesn't exist."  
        "But you know how to kiss." I grinned mischievously.   
        "Experience." she blushed. "If there's a technique you didn't use, I don't know it."  
        "Oh, so what I'm hearing is you're a damn copycat." I teased.  
        "Oh, definitely. Very boring." she laughed.   
        "Not at all, actually. You were a lot of fun." I said honestly. I placed a hot cup of coffee on the table and sat down across from her, sliding the cup towards her.  
        "Really?" she asked excitedly, perking up in her chair. She blushed, realizing how enthusiastic she was, and relaxed. "I mean, that surprises me."  _Too. Fucking. Adorable._  I just wanted to shank her cute little fucking face.. (Is that weird?)  
        "Why would I lie? To protect your feelings? If you haven't noticed, I'm kind of an asshole."   
"I don't know. I guess not." she laughed, trying to shake off her apparent embarrassment. I kicked myself internally.  _Nice flirting, fucking moron.  
        _"Um, anyway, it's your turn, then."  _God, could you be any more of a douchebag?  
        _"Oh, right. When did you go through puberty?"  
        "What kind of question is that?" I laughed in shock.  
        "Why? Is that strange?" she asked, having no idea what a personal question that is.  
        "Um, I guess.. I think I was like ten or eleven." she nodded. "Why?"  
        "Well, I don't recall going through it myself, and I wanted to know if that was typical."  
        "Well, guys go through it later than girls, so it's very likely that you went through it before you were thirteen. In fact, that's probably normal."  
        "When do guys go through it?"  
        "I think it's normally at twelve. I take it you have had no Sex Ed."  
        "Sex Ed?" she cocked her head. "Is that like a fertilization ceremony?"  
        "Oh, God,  _no!"_  I laughed. "A lot of kids get it in middle school, it's like a class on puberty and contraception and shit like that."  
        "You took it?"  
        "Nah, I learned the fun way." I wiggled my eyebrows.  
        "What way is that?" she asked innocently. I can't decide if her purity is cute or annoying.  
        "Through sexual activity." She nodded as if to say "aha".   
        Suddenly, Jack turned the corner into the kitchen. He stopped immediately upon sight of us.  
        "Reverie." he addressed her simply.  
        "What do you want Jack?" I intervened.  
        "I wasn't talking to you, Jeff, I was talking to her." he turned to face her again. "Can we talk?"  
        "As I recall, I believe I have already told you my position on that."  
        "Okay, well I'm asking again. Last night was, I don't know, insane, and-"  
        "The woman told you to fuck off, so do as she says!" I snapped.  _Fuck him, he needs to respect her boundaries. Okay, maybe I was a little emotionally involved in this myself, but seriously, take a hint._  
        "Dude, mind your own fucking business!"  
        I stood up from the table and stepped towards him. "She is my business."  
        "Oh, well that was quick!" Jack laughed obnoxiously. "Looks like Jeff the Killer still can't seem to distinguish girl from victim!"  
        I decked the bastard, and Reverie exclaimed something, but I had lost control entirely. He had provoked the more frustrated parts of my emotional mind and unleashed my innermost anger. I completely blacked out and given lead to one thing only: the purest need to tear him apart.

* * *

**Reverie's Point of View**

        "Jeff, stop!" I screamed. He ignored me entirely, swinging again, then again, and again. Jack fought back, of course, landing a few good hits himself. I tried to pull them apart, an attempt that was addressed by Jack's fist landing on my jaw. This pissed Jeff off even more, transforming him from an angry serial killer into an fucking animal. Jack didn't even seem to notice what he had done; he was too focused on getting revenge on Jeff. They were completely out of control. I figured this was a good a time as any to test out my new ability. I squeezed my eyelids shut, and concentrated painfully hard on separating the two of them. I couldn't seem to exercise enough force to move either one of them; they were too engaged. I tried instead to just move one limb at a time. I chose Jeff, because he had started the fight. I focused on moving his foot forwards. It took so much energy to even move a damn foot, I couldn't believe it! It didn't take hardly any to flip an entire dresser over just a few hours ago. I refocused on moving his foot, flexing my brain as if it were a muscle.Finally, his foot flew from underneath him, and he landed on his back. Eyeless Jack took no notice of it. he simply leaped at the opportunity to finish the fight. He pulled his scalpel from his pocket and poised it to stab Jeff in the neck.  
        "No!" I shouted, throwing myself in front of the blade. I saw Slender appear behind Jack just before I felt his blade impale my side. I landed on top of Jeff, who shouted in horror the instant he saw what had happened.   
        "Oh, fuck, Reverie!" He sat up and flipped me onto my good side to reveal my wound. The scalpel was halfway enclosed in my flesh, erected straight from the wound, which bled profusely. I screamed in agony and gasped for air.  
        "Oh my fucking God, no!" Jack shouted, rushing to my side. He raised his hands to help me.  
        "Don't fucking touch her! You've done enough!" Jeff objected, blocking him from me.  
        "Oh, like you know what to do?" Jack challenged.  
        "Eyeless Jack is right, child." Slender interjected quickly, appearing over us. "He can help her. Her wound may be fatal. Do not allow your anger to keep her from survival." Jeff growled and allowed Jack to take me in his arms. Slender grabbed Jack's shoulders and we teleported as a unit. Where we ended up, I did not see before I had fainted.


	18. XVIII

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

        "Hurry the fuck up!" Jeff shouted with a panicked attitude. "She's bleeding too much!"  
        "Shut up!" I commanded, not looking up from the surgery I was performing. "I'm trying to concentrate."  
        "You should be trying to  _save her!"_  
        "Okay, honestly, just get the fuck out. I don't need this, and you are distracting me from effectively helping her. If you  _really_  want her to live, get out."  
        "He is right, child. Please go calm down elsewhere." Slender chimed in. Jeff stormed out, slamming my bedroom door behind him.  _Finally._  

* * *

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

        I sat in Reverie's bedroom, trying really hard not to go kill that bastard. We needed him to save her. After he does, however, I make NO promises. I tried hard to focus on the walls of her bedroom. Each one was draped by silk tapestry of black, like curtains pulled back from a window. The open areas were filled by various posters and paintings displaying images from urban scenes to mountainous woods. I wondered if she could even see them regularly, or if just the thought of having these scenes around her was some type of comfort. How anyone could get homesick from the streets, I had no idea.  
        Slender appeared in front of me, and sat beside me on her bed. "Talk to me."  
        "What?"   
        "Tell me what you are thinking." He reiterated calmly. His unemotional state was typical, but really annoying to me in those moments.  
        I exhaled gruffly. "I fucking hate him. It's one thing to obsess over a girl, but entirely another to stab one."  
        "I can see that," he noted monotonously. "But you know he never intended to do such a thing."  
        "Your right, he intended to stab  _me._ That adjusts the flaws in his character severely."  
        "Try not to be so closed-minded, Jeffery."  
        "I'm going to do what the fuck I want; he could have killed her. There's no guarantee that he hasn't already!" I shouted angrily, to make sure Jack could hear me in the other room.  
        "You have every right to be angry about this, but you know you can't entirely blame him."  
        "I can do whatever I want." I stated defiantly. 

        Slenderman sighed, deciding I wouldn't be dissuaded, and vanished from the room.

        "This is  _his_  fault, Slender!" I called out angrily, but I knew I was only trying to convince myself now. I wanted to place all of the blame on him. I wanted  _him_  to suffer through all of the guilt, but I couldn't hide from the fact that I shared some of it.  _She took a stabbing for me. That could have been me._

        I buried my face in my hands in anger and sadness and guilt and grief.

        _It should have been me._

* * *

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

        The surgery was done. The scalpel had sliced through her right kidney's attachments to blood vessels. I feared she had bled too much, and that she may not make it. But then it was over, and I knew she would live, and still I sat beside her as she laid unconscious on my bed, hoping and praying to Hell-knows-what that she might soon awaken. I had done this. There was no excuse, nowhere else to place blame. This was my fault, and I ad to live with the guilt. Part of me was still entertaining the thought that she wouldn't survive. If this was true, I had no idea how I would cope in the aftermath. I had no idea if I would  _choose_  to cope.  
         _Please wake up, Reverie. For the love of God, please, just wake up._

* * *

**Reverie's Point of View**

        _"Come, Melanie!" A woman in long, black clothing called to me. I ran to her and grabbed onto her skirt. She did not look at me. We walked in the black of night towards a the light of a large fire in the woods. As we approached it, I noticed the large group of people, each one dressed similarly and equally as expressionless to the woman I clung to. Upon the sight of me, every one of them exclaimed something about a sacrificial ceremony. The woman joined them in their cheers as a tall, unsmiling man grabbed me and lifted me onto his shoulders. Everyone seemed happy to see me, and they thanked the woman for her sacrifice._  
        "My daughter is nothing - we are ALL nothing - comparable to the almighty Morning Star!" she announced, arising a cheer from the crowd. A drum started to play, and the man took me towards a star-like symbol formed from sticks and stones on the forest floor. Each point of the star was guarded by a candle and several other items I did not recognize. The man set me down in the middle of the pentagram and faced the crowd, which gathered around the formation. Another woman appeared in front of me not a minute later, carrying a large rock. She struggled with it, and a man came to help her bring it to the circle. The man who had brought me into the pentagram instructed me to lay down on my back. Timidly, I did as I was told as he positioned my limbs to fill each point of the star. He commanded to stay still and gestured to the man and woman to bring forth the boulder. As soon as they were near enough, they dropped it on my hand. I cried out in pain and struggled against the man, who was holding me down. More people brought more boulders, each of them dropping on my arms and legs. One all four were placed, the man released me. I struggled again, but the rocks would not budge.   
        "Mama, please!" my childish voice called to the woman I had arrived with, tears streaming down my face. She did not respond. Instead she turned around to face the other way, making a deliberate point not to look at me, but I saw the tears stream down her face as well.  
        The group formed a circle around the star and began to chant in a language I did not understand. My mother did not participate as far as I could tell. I screamed, begging and pleading them to free me, but no one so much as glanced at me. A moment later, a woman approached me, wielding a dagger. She kneeled next to me, and I cried for her to help me. She said nothing. She just raised her dagger and cut my eyes out.  
        As the world faded to black, all I could hear was my mother voice as she screamed in reverence to Morning Star.

* * *

        I woke up to the sight of Jack beside me with his head on my hand, and my hand in his. I couldn't tell if he was crying or simply breathing heavily.   
        "Jack?" I said softly. His head shot up at the sound of my voice. I reached out to touch his face, finding I had no energy to complete that task. He sensed this and brought my hand to his face. I felt his high cheek bones and the thick liquid that cascaded down them. He let out this heart-wrenching half-laugh-half-sob and brought his other hand to mine on his face.   
        "You're alive." he whimpered. "Thank God, you're alive."  
        "So it seems." I exhaled deeply. Breathing felt like an absolute chore. "Where am I?" I tried to sit up, but the pain in my right side held me back. Jack's hands swiftly came to my shoulders and gently laid me back down.   
        "You're in my bedroom, which sort of doubles as an infirmary." he answered gently. I took a deep breath and exhaled, as if it would compensate as a sort of response. "Reverie, I am so, so sorry." he cried softly.  
        "It's not nice.." I inhaled, "to stab people."  _He didn't mean to. He was just hurt._  
        He cried again, but I could hear the smile in his breathing. "I know, I'm so sorry."  
        "Please don't make a habit of it." I breathed, a tiny smile forming from my lips. He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it genuinely.   
        "Never." he promised, bringing my hand back down to the bed and lacing his fingers in mine.


	19. XIX

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

        My thoughts were interrupted by a quick knock at the door. BEN opened it slightly and poked his head in.  
        "She's awake." he said somewhat subtly, and shut the door again.  
        I jumped up so fast I thought I might get whiplash as I bolted to the door and around the corner into Jack's room. There she was, breathing tiredly and seemingly lost in thought. Jack sat in a chair beside the bed, holding her hand. His head popped up the second he heard me come in. He had every reason to be scared. I wanted to kill the bitch, but looking at Reverie's exhausted expression, I just couldn't. She became my only concern.   
        "Jack." I said sternly, but then reminded myself to relax. I did. "Jack, please leave us alone for a minute." He looked at her and hesitated. "Please, dude, I'm asking nicely."  
        "Please." Reverie agreed softly, her voice almost inaudible. He stood and leaned over to give her a little kiss on the forehead before doing as she had asked. On the way out, he glared at me, displaying an awkward mixture of anger and loss. I wanted to feel bad for him, but he stabbed her on his own, and he was going to pay the consequences on his own.  
        "Jeffery," Reverie said evenly, reverting my attention back to her. I hurried myself to her side, sitting in the spot that Eyeless Jack had just occupied. Her eyes were closed gently, but I gazed at her anyway. She had just been stabbed and almost killed, yet she was still pretty as hell.  
        "How are you, kid?" I asked, sweeping a lock of her hair out of her face. "You look great."  
        She laughed at that to the best of her ability. She was clearly 150% spent. "Shut up, don't mess with me right now. I may be blind and dead tired, but I'll still kick your ass."  
        "You know what, I think I believe you." I allowed. "Your crazy ass can beat anything, you know that? It's like you simply cannot die."  
        "Apparently not," she agreed. "It's like the universe took what it wanted from me already."  _What the hell does that mean?_  
        "Eh, maybe a pair of eyes is enough."  
        "No, I don't think it would've been." She said simply.  
        "Okay, what gives? You just survived a stabbing, what could possibly be wrong?" She hesitated. "Come on, Rev, talk to me."  
        She sighed. "I had a vision, or a dream or something."  
        "A  _reverie_ , perhaps?" I joked, pointing at her playfully.  
        She stared at me. "I hate you so much right now." A smile slowly spread across her face. "That is fucking awful."  
        "Puns are the key to life, my dear." I bathed in the glory of my word play and pat her on the head.  
        "But seriously, I think I know how I died, Jeffery."  
        "'Died'?" I repeated.  
        "My mother sacrificed me to Satan as a child. That's why I can't remember anything before that. I'm like, possessed or something." She seemed genuinely excited about the whole thing. Her thoughts raced and she became more and more animated with every word. "I can't believe it! Everything makes sense now!" She cheered, beaming at me. I smiled back.  
        "I'm happy for you, Rev. I really am." I said, trying to be excited, too. "Shit, after all this time, I'd be fucking stoked."  
        She laughed, as if she was never even tired in the first place. "It's okay, Jeffery, I don't expect you to understand."  
         _Thank God._  "No, really, I'm happy for you, Reverie." Without thinking, I placed my hand on hers. When I realized I had done it, I panicked and started to move it, but she grabbed my hand before I could. I looked at her, and she was looking right back at me. Like she was really looking at me. I felt exposed; like for the first time, she really  _saw me_.         
        "Everything seems clearer now." She said excitedly.   
        "I bet."  
        "No, Jeff, I can  _see!"  
        _"Wait, really?" I looked closer at her vacant eyes, as if I might find answers there.  
        "I'm dead fucking serious, I can fucking see! It's like my vision had just suddenly come back, and I didn't notice until I opened my eyes! Jeff, this is amazing!" She jumped up, but she was held back by the IV in her arm. I tried to stop her but she had pulled it out and run out of the room before I could even get a word out. I couldn't help but laugh and adore her excitement. I followed her out to see her blasting down the stairs, every head in the house turning to watch. Halfway down the stairs, she stopped and keeled over in pain. I rushed to her, but she was still laughing.   
        "Yeah, we're going back to bed now." I said, lifting her up and starting for Jack's room.   
        "Wait!" she pleaded. "At least take me downstairs then. I want to see what the house looks like."  
        I allowed it, and took her to the couch in the living room. I put her down gently, laying her out across the couch as if it were a bed. She was still talking a mile a minute, and if she weren't so fucking adorable doing it, I would've cut her.  
        "Oh look we have windows! I can see all the trees! And the kitchen, it's so much smaller than I thought it would be! Where is everyone? I can't wait to see all their beautiful faces!" She was so happy. I couldn't help but love watching her. She was crippled, but mentally I could see she had already run laps around the place.  
        I decided to humor her. "Hey, Eyeless Jackass! Come down here! Bring some of the others!"  
        Jack rounded the hallway upstairs to peek into the living room. "Please don't make a habit of using that name."  
        "Go get some others. Reverie wants to see you all." At the sound of her name, he obeyed. A few minutes later he brought with him BEN, Jane, Sally, Laughing Jack, and the proxies. Slender appeared on his own just a moment after I had given my instructions.  
        "What's the occasion, darling?" LJ asked as everyone gathered around the living room.  
        "Oh my God, LJ!" she exclaimed, taking him in. "You look nothing like I thought! I mean, you're so  _dark!_  I thought you were a clown! Don't get me wrong, you are very handsome, but still, I'm surprised!"  
        "Okay, seriously, what's happening?" BEN asked suspiciously.   
        "BEN, you're  _exactly_  what I thought you might look like! What the Hell are you wearing? Some sort of costume?" she looked down at herself. "Oh, Jesus,  _what am I wearing?"  
        _"She can see now." I grinned, enjoying watching her bash on the guys. "Feel exposed yet?"  
        "Very." Jack said, repositioning his mask.  
        "Jack, sweetheart, come here." Reverie requested sweetly. He approached her, looking at me cautiously. I glared at him, and he looked away. He kneeled in front of her, and she removed his mask to place her hands on his face gently.  _Jealous? Definitely. I'll kill him.  
        _"You are exactly as I imagined, Jack." she smiled, gazing at him with the brightest expression. She brushed his hair from his face and put her hands back in her lap. I tried not to appear too pissed at the whole thing. It was just the way  _she looked at him_. I could see what everyone was talking about; they seemed perfect for each other.  
        Reverie gasped abruptly, pointing her gaze in the other direction. "Sally!" she sang, cueing the little girl to bounce to her side. She picked Sally up and put her in her lap. "You are the prettiest little lady I have ever seen, do you know that?" Sally giggled and put her hands over her face. Reverie removed them as if they were playing a game of peekaboo. I always had a soft spot for Sally; everyone knew it, and I gave up on hiding it years ago. Seeing Rev play with her like that almost made me forget about what had just happened with Eyeless Jack.   
        

* * *

**Reverie's Point of View**

        "I would like to go next." Slender announced, waltzing over to my side. He kneeled to lower himself to a more accessible height. "Miss Melanie, it is an honor to make your acquaintance once again."

* * *

 

_"Who are you?" I asked the tall, faceless man._  
        "I am the Slender Man, child." he said calmly.   
        "What do you want?" I asked, unafraid.  
        "To be your friend." he answered. "Come with me. We can go play hide and seek in the woods together."  
        I heard my mother in the distance. I turned to look in the direction her voice had come from, but saw nothing. "I have to go." I said sadly to my new friend.  
        "She will not mind, I promise. Let's go play." he took my hand and I started to follow him into the woods.  
        "Melanie!" my mother scolded, following behind me. "What are you doing? Stop talking to yourself, we have somewhere to be!" I looked back to see she was a mere ten feet or so behind me, turning to leave the way she had come. She turned to face me. "Come, Melanie!"   
        I turned back to look for the Slender Man, but he had disappeared.  
 

* * *

  
        "Oh, my God, Slender you knew!" All the joy I had just experienced faded instantly. "You let this happen to me!"  
        He sighed and swept me up in his arms, and we appeared in my bedroom. I took in the sight of my walls and couldn't help but smile. Slender had this pre-decorated. My focus snapped right back to the issue at hand.   
        "You knew this was going to happen to me!" I shouted at him. "Why didn't you stop them from doing this?!"   
         ** _I had no idea what they were planning to do, child. I cannot read adult minds._**  
"I'm an adult. Everyone in this house is an adult!"  
         _ **BEN and Sally are both under the age of sixteen.  
        **_"You know what I mean, Slender!"  
         ** _Yes, child, I understand. Everyone in this house has had some sort of an interaction with me before their minds had fully developed into an adult state. Usually this happens around a human's sixteenth year.  
        _**"You didn't stop them. You must have seen it, I know you did!"  
         ** _You're right, I did. I did watch, but I couldn't have stopped it. They couldn't see me._**  
"You couldn't have just killed them?"  
         _ **Mass murder is not in my job description, Miss Melanie.**  
         _I sighed. "Please call me Reverie, Slender." He nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
         _ **You had to figure it out on your own, Miss Reverie. You were cursed to live in the shoes of Satan; fallen from Heaven and sentenced to find your way in an unfamiliar place. They took your eyes as a metaphor to losing the grace of God. It was a sort of retelling, I suppose. You were supposed to suffer in the same way as He did, and accept the ability to see and live once you understood his suffering on your own terms. Telling you would have done nothing but frighten you, I'm afraid.  
        **_I processed the information to the best of my ability, and found a strong sense of identity I hadn't possessed before. I felt more complete. "Did you say I would accept the ability to  _live?"_  
         **Yes, my child. You are now, officially, immortal. You no longer classify as human.**

* * *

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

        Not two minutes later, she came running downstairs. I stood to go stop her, but she had already made it down and leaped into my arms before I could even take the first step.  
        She threw herself at me and hugged me tightly. "Is this what that feels like, Jack?" she asked happily, almost in tears. "To finally understand what you are?"  
        I laughed, understanding exactly what she meant. "You found out how you died?"  
        She bounced ecstatically in her spot. "Yes! Yes, I did! It all makes so much sense now! I feel so free! My God, I could kiss you!"   
        I gasped and she realized what she had said. Her smile broke and she released me. "Um, I mean I'm so glad I have someone who understands." I sighed in disappointment, but smiled at her anyway. I wish I had had someone to go to in that part of my life. I was sad that she had obviously given up on a future for us as a couple, but I was glad I could be that person for her.


	20. XX

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

   _As happy as I was for her, I can't help but resent how close she's becoming to Jack. Over the past month or so, they've spent all of their time together, talking about how fucking cool it is to be a demon and to be immortal and all that bullshit. I can't possibly hope to understand what it was like, but the second she found out, there she goes off with Eyeless Jack. I'm angry and spiteful and hurt, but I just feel stupid. For even just a moment, I had the slightest thought that she could have a portion of my heart- Fuck it, I don't even want to go into that. Relationships are ridiculous. They mean nothing, and... I'm starting to believe that she means nothing._

* * *

**Reverie's Point of View**

        "Hey, Jeff-" I started as Jeffery passed through the kitchen, apparently in a rush. He completely ignored me, not even a glance in my direction. I turned to Jack to see if he had anything to say on the matter. Of course he did.  
        "Fuck him. He doesn't want to be apart of your life, that's his loss."  
        "But there has to be more to it than that." I sighed. "It just came out of nowhere. There had to be some type of  _reason."  
        _"Wouldn't he have told you by now?"  
        "Have you  _met_  him?"  
        "I guess not." he muttered. "Why do you care so damn much?"  
         _Good question. There are several answers, none of which will I be sharing with you._ "Because... he's my friend."  
        "You sure?"  
         _Nope._ "What is that supposed to mean?"  
        "He doesn't seem to be such a great friend to you, Rev."          
        "And that's exactly why we need to talk." I insisted. "What is your deal?"  
        He groaned. "Just go."  
        "Huh?"  
        "Go talk to him already! Damn!" He threw his hands up to gesture towards his room. "Give him my regards."

* * *

  
        I left, but I didn't go to his room. Instead I went to mine.  
        "Slender!" I called out. He appeared in front of me. I loved watching him do that. There was no crazy lights or special effect. If you blinked, you'd miss it.   
        "Yes, child." He said evenly.  
        "What's with Jeff?"  
        "He is what some would call an asshole."  
        "Besides that! I mean he's been totally shut down recently. Was it something I did?"  
        "He is an asshole anyway." he said, a smirk in his voice. "So when he has something going on within his mind that he does not fully understand himself, he has a tendency to take it out on others. It is him, not you."  
        "How cliche." I laughed. "What do I do? I don't want to just watch him be this way."  
        "Then help him through it."  
        "How? He'll only push me away."  
        He paused to think. "Do it indirectly. Perhaps telepathically?"  
        "No, he'll freak out. He really doesn't like that." I shook my head.  
        "Then maybe a simple note will suffice."  
        "A note?"  
        "Yes, child. explain what you are seeing in a way that is not critical, and give him an opportunity to think on what you say. I can't promise it's success, but it may be worth a try."  
         _It's better than nothing. It couldn't hurt, could it?_ "Yeah, okay. Thanks, Slender."  
        "Of course, child." He disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. I took his advice and wrote out a note. I did my best to keep it simple, but still explain how I felt in a way that wouldn't make him get defensive. I folded it up and headed to his room not long later.

* * *

        "What the fuck do you want?" Jeff called from inside his bedroom after I knocked at his door.  
        "I just want to talk."  
        "How ironic!  _I don't."_  
        "That's not ironic, Jeffery, it's just kind of unfortunate."  
        "Go away, devil spawn."  
        "I'm gonna go ahead and take that as a compliment." I said, ignoring his request and opening the door. He was laid out on his bed, not taking his eyes off of his knife, which he was twirling in his fingers.  
        "Pretty sure I just told you to fuck off."  
        "Pretty sure I just ignored you. What's your problem?"  
        "You. I already told you to go away, and since you insist upon being a scalpel in my side-"  
        "Haha, very funny, asshole." I smirked.  
        "I am going to have to be a dick and  _make_  you leave."  
        "Good luck with all that." I laughed. "Not going anywhere until you tell me why you're mad at me."  
        "In order for me to be mad at you, I would have to care about whatever you had done." He sneered. "I'm not mad."  
        I groaned. "You're gonna make this as difficult as possible, aren't you?"  
        "No,  _you're_  making this difficult by staying here." he said spitefully. "I'll tell you one more time: GET OUT. I'm not telling you again, Melanie."  
        "Where did you hear that name?" I asked, both perplexed and offended.  
        "Doesn't matter. I've already said my piece."  
        "Fine, then I guess it's my turn to say mine. You've been weird ever since that day with the whole stabbing incident, and I want to know what the hell is wrong, because I'm worried about you."  
        "Don't worry about me, sweetheart, I'm just fine." He glared at me with an intensity similar to the one he had donned the first day I had come here.           
        "I'm not done."  
        "I am."  
        "Good for you, Jeffery. As I was saying, I worry about you, and you were there for me when I needed it-"  
        "I don't need anything from you, bitch-"  
         _"I said shut the fuck up!"_ I shouted angrily. The door opened and slammed itself behind me. I sighed, knowing I had to learn to control that. "Let me finish." He rolled his eyes and motioned for me to proceed. "Thank you, you're  _so_ gracious. Jeffery, I don't know what I did to make you upset, but-"  
        "I already-"  
        "Jeffery, if I have to tell you again, I swear to God I will cut your balls off."  
        "Then finish already!" he huffed.  
        "Bottom line: I miss you lately, and I wish you would just talk to me. If there's something I can do, I need you to give me the opportunity to do it."  
        "No."  
        "Why won't you let me help you?" I seethed.  
        "Because I don't want your fucking help, you stupid bitch! I don't want you anywhere near me! Why don't you understand that?!" I gawked at him, feeling as if he had taken his knife and plunged it directly into my heart. "Just.. leave already." He exhaled sharply. I stood up and stormed towards the door. Just as I was about to leave, I remembered the letter I had written, and pulled it out of my pocket. I crumpled it and threw it at him, using a little bit of telekinetic force to give the throw that extra edge so it smacked against his forehead a bit harder than it would have in the first place.   
        "Thanks for your time, prick. Enjoy the letter, I don't even know if I mean it anymore." With that, I stormed through the threshold and telekinetically slammed the door behind me. The tears finally fell down my face not two seconds later.

* * *

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

 _I told her to leave! She is so fucking stubborn. Why does she always have to make her own life harder?  
        _I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of reading her note. I told her I didn't want to hear it, and reading it wouldn't be any easier. I tossed it into the trashcan and rolled over on my bed, trying to forget about it. it wasn't long before curiosity was started to get the best of me. I grabbed it from the basket, and started to open it. I stopped myself and tore it up before I could let myself read it.  _There. Now I can't read it at all._

 _(Two minutes later)_

 _GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!_

  
I pieced the note back together with tape and a spiteful attitude, skimming the words as I worked. When I finally finished, I read the final product. 

 ** _"My dear Jeffery,_**

 ** _These past few weeks have been crazy. Everything has become both clearer and more blurry. This does apply to my newfound transitions, but mostly it applies to you. Suddenly, you disappeared from my life, and despite all of the wonderful things going on around me, I struggle to appreciate them, because I can't share them with you. I know the concept must seem unapproachable to you (it would to anyone!), and I know I can't ask you to understand it. At a time, I thought I could ask you to at least try and be happy for me, but I know now that even this idea is almost entirely unattainable. Now, I see that you are obviously going through something yourself at this time. All I can ask is that you let me in, so I may help you through it. I've been lost without you lately, and you never let me feel lost before. I know it is unfair to expect that you help me through it this time, so I request that you let me help you through it. Whatever it is, no matter how hard it may be, it couldn't amount to what I owe you already. You kept me sane when I couldn't understand humankind, and when I couldn't understand my place within it. You showed me that I could choose to both love and hate the world, because no one can define its complexity. Whether you intended to or not, you've taught me so much about the world, and now I know for sure that I don't want to know a world without you in it to experience it with me._**

 ** _I don't know if this matters to you or not, but if it does, I want you to know that Jack and I will never be a couple. Yes, we have a lot in common, and yes, he sees me as a love interest, but I do not share that with him. He is very close to my heart, but in a similar way that a brother might be. I don't know where you stand, and if I seem ridiculous and overly emotional, I apologize, but if you take anything from this note, I want you to know that my heart is yours if you want it. If not, try to be understanding, and I will learn to accept that, though it definitely will not come easily._**

 ** _I apologize for being forward with you and for making you uncomfortable in any way. If this is the end of our friendship, know that I treasure every ounce of what it has been. Take care of yourself._**

_**-Reverie"**_

 

 

        I reread the letter over and over again until my eyes burned with tears I refused to acknowledge.  _Every fucking time I want to hate this bitch, she keeps me coming back! What the hell is so damn special about her that makes her anything more than another occupied space in the Mansion?_

        At this time, a little voice my head decided to pipe in like, "Oh, it's because she's pretty and funny and cool", to which I told it to shut the fuck up and get a grip. I needed  _something;_  some type of closure to get that bitch off my mind for good.

        "You just want to see her." the little voice said.

        I ignored it again.


	21. XXI

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

        "Rev, I'm coming in." I called, just a few hours after reading the note. I did as promised and opened the door to find that Reverie was not in her room.  _If she ran away again I swear to God..  
        _I checked the attached bathroom and found her on the side of the tub with a bloody dagger in one hand and an arm covered in gashes and blood from her wrist to her inner-elbow. She had tears streaming down her face, but her face itself showed no expression at all.  
        "Slender was right. I can't die." she said quietly. "The veins closed right back up."  
        I wanted to hug her and kiss her and clean her cuts, but at the same time I wanted to slap her around and call her stupid. It was a pretty even mix of the two, so I didn't do either one.  
        "What the actual fuck is all this?" I walked over and took the dagger from her. She reached out for it when I grabbed it. "This is supposed to be used to hurt others, not yourself!"  
        She didn't say anything, though she really looked like she wanted to.  
        "Spit it out, little girl. What the fuck do you think you're doing?"  
        She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She exhaled sharply. "I was just curious."  
        "The fuck you were! What is the reason for this?!" I interrogated, holding up the bloody knife. She stared at it sadly.  
        "I.. I don't want to be sad anymore." she said childishly, holding back tears.  
        "So you're going to try to kill yourself when you know damn well you're immortal?! Is this a cry for attention, or are you just fucking stupid?"  
        "Honestly, I think it may have been a bit of both." she admitted almost inaudibly, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Mostly the latter."  
        I threw the knife, which dug itself in the drywall upon impact. I squared up at her, ready to strangle her. She winced and waited for what she knew was coming, but didn't even attempt to fight back. I stood a few inches in front of her, my hands poised to strike, and she waited. She didn't move, didn't look at me, she just held her eyes shut and exposed herself to the pain.  
        "Do it." she said, not even glancing at me. "I probably deserve it."  
        "So now that you've been caught trying to hurt yourself, you're going to let me do it for you?" I snapped.  
        "Whatever works." she confirmed. "It may be warranted."  
        "Warranted for what?"  
        "Whatever I did to make you hate me."  
        "Don't be pathetic." I said, but my heart had dropped into my stomach.  _I can't let her do this to me again!_                  
        "I can't help it!" she cried angrily, tears streaming down her face.          
        "You want to give up all of this wonderful immortality and demonic power over a fucking guy?"  
        She hesitated. "I know I shouldn't," she said finally, "but I meant what I said."  
         _She's totally trying to play me._ "You're fucking joking."  
        "I didn't ask you to agree with me, and I didn't ask you to feel the same. I already told you where I stand. If you think I'm playing some sort of sick game, then go ahead and think that. Make a manipulative bitch of me, but I already told you how I feel."  
        "Remind me." I commanded gruffly, trying to mask my urge to believe her.  
        She sighed. "I love you, Jeff the Killer." She wiped a tear from her cheek, trying to maintain her lost dignity. "And I feel fucking ridiculous in hoping you'll feel the same, but I won't pretend that it isn't true. I love you, and I understand that you don't share the feeling, but I don't want to keep hoping that one day you'll-"  
        In that very instant, I aggressively pressed my lips against hers, completely losing the ability to fight it for even a minute longer. I didn't have the strength, and I didn't want it anymore. I just wanted her, and no matter how hard I tried to conceal it, I couldn't hide from the fact that she made me feel like a different and better person. I wanted her to be able to expect things from me, and I wanted her to be okay, if not happy, every minute of every day.           
        I broke the kiss and placed my hands on each side of her face to look make whatever eye contact I could. It didn't matter; I knew she could see me, but I wanted her to know that I could see her.  
        "Swear to me that you're telling the truth." I pleaded.  
        "I swear." she smiled.  
        I kissed her again, and again, and again, each time feeling like it was as perfect and passionate as the first. For the first time in eight years, I felt totally complete.


	22. XXII (Final Chapter)

 I woke up the next morning with him beside me, my cheek on his bare chest. 

        "Good morning." he said softly. I smiled up at him. He smiled back. "Do you want me to go check the time?"

        "Actually, I would love to do that myself this time around, if that's okay."

        "Go for it." he laughed.

        I rolled out of bed and put on a shirt and sweats. I cracked the door open slowly and rounded the corner to check the grandfather clock at the end of the hallway, which read 10:14. As I silently appreciated this gift of vision, I could see BEN playing a game on the couch in the living room downstairs. Someone else was cooking in the kitchen; I can only assume it was Jack with his morning kidney. I tiptoed back into my bedroom.

        "Ten fourteen." I told Jeff, sitting on the edge of the bed.

        "Who all is up?" 

        "Jack is in the kitchen and BEN's on the couch, but that's all I know of."

        "Kind of hungry, but I don't want to subject myself to Jack's bitching when he sees us together."

        "I can go make some-"

        "That won't be necessary, but thanks, Rev. I don't want you being my human shield."

        "I'm going to assume you meant that in a good way."

        "I did."

        "Good. Honestly though, maybe we keep this under wraps for a while-"

        "Wrong again, sweetheart. I can take care of myself." I tried to pretend that hadn't stung quite a bit, but he  realized that it had and kissed my forehead apologetically. "You deserve to be taken care of, Reverie. Not the other way around."

        I can not even begin to describe how good those words felt bouncing around in my mind.  
        "Jack will learn to accept it. He obviously really cares about you, Rev, and I know he would want you to be happy." I nodded sadly. He brushed my hair out of my face. "Are you happy?" he asked, making sure to look me in the "eyes". I stared into his, big and blue and filled with pain and hate and sadness; but there he was, right there with me, asking me if  _I_  was happy. I sat up a little and turned to kiss him, hoping to tell him my answer. 

  
        "I really am." I smiled at him, deciding to tell him anyway.  
        His cute little side smile appeared across his face. "Good."

* * *

**Eyeless Jack's Point of View

        They descended the stairwell and entered the living room hand in hand. As they sat together on the couch, he wrapped one arm around her waist, keeping the other one firmly grasped with hers, like he wouldn't let her go for even a moment. Like she was too fragile to be dropped. Like she was his.  
        _I knew this day was coming. Deep down, I knew it was inevitable. At first, I assumed that nice guys always finish last, no matter their merit. But now I know I could've had her. I made my own mistakes, and now I'll have to suffer the consequences. She deserves a better man than me.  
        But is my mistake trying too hard, or will it be letting her go?_

* * *

**Jeff the Killer's Point of View**

        As she sat beside me, I'll admit, there was a part of me that felt foolish. That part told me I was weak; that I had been tamed by a girl. It cared about how the others would see me now, like I was less intimidating with a girl on my arm. But then I looked at her, and her flushed cheeks on her pale face, and her soft, pink lips, and suddenly, I couldn't imagine being anywhere other than right there with her.   
        And then Jackass appeared.  
        "Hey, um, Rev, can I talk to you for just a second?"  
        "For the love of murder, man, get lost!" I barked.  
        "It's okay, Jeffery." she said softly, smiling at me. "It will only be a second."  
        I sighed. "You sure you'll be okay?"  
        My hood came over my head and consequently my hair came over my eyes. She giggled and the hood came back down.  _Telekinesis._  
        "I'll be fine." she giggled again.  
        I fixed my hair and looked back at her, then nodded reluctantly.  
 

* * *

        **Eyeless Jack's Point of View**

        We rounded the corner and headed up the stairs without a word between us. As we reached the door to my room, she looked mildly uncomfortable.  
        "Jack, what's going on?" she asked nervously.  
        "What's wrong?"  
        "Do... I have to be worried?" she asked, staring at the floor intently.  
        "If you think for even a second that I would ever want to put you directly in harm's way, you must not know me well at all." I insisted, taking the emotional stabbing. She nodded with a sigh and we continued into my bedroom, where I motioned for her to sit next to me on the edge of the bed. She shook her head and sat herself on the floor.  
        I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "So, about Jeff.."  
        "We're together." she affirmed evenly.   
        "Right. And I guess that means you expect me to support that decision."  
        "Well, not necessarily. Yes, I would like that very much, but I know better than to expect much of anything from you at this point."  
         _Ouch._  
        "I would, however, ask you to respect it."  
        "That is so much easier said than done, Reverie." I huffed.  
        "I don't really understand why."   
        "That's because you have no idea how it would feel to stand in my current position."  
        "Then tell me: why are you so obsessed with pushing Jeff out of my life?" she asked snidely.  
        "You really don't know?" I snapped back.  
        "I know it has something to do with jealousy!"   
        "Jealous of that prick? Not a chance in Hell!"  
        "You have no reason to be angry with him? There's obviously something that you have against him!"  
        It's not what I have against  _him_ , Reverie, it's that I'm in love with you!" I shouted in her face. She cowered back a bit, silenced by my rage. "Why the fuck have you not understood that? All of this time, I've done nothing but be a pathetic bitch to your every need! You wanted a friend, I've been there! You wanted guidance, I gave it to you! I've done nothing but be what you needed, and you've remained clueless this entire fucking time? Jesus, I thought _I_  had been stupid!"  
        I huffed air deeply, catching my breath from my rant. She sat quietly, her face displaying shock and sadness.   
        "I had no idea how angry you really were about all of this." she said softly.  
        "Yeah, well it's not like you cared to ask." I spat.   
        "Well, Jack, you haven't exactly been perfect."  
        "I saved your life!"  
        "Yeah, after you had almost taken it." She said sharply, glaring at me. "I'm sorry, Jack, I truly am, but you can't keep holding onto-"  
        "No, Reverie, you're not sorry. Don't lie to me, and don't lie to yourself. You've always wanted him, and now you have him."  
        "You know what, even if that was true, it would have nothing to do with you. You had your chance, Jack, and you blew it. I told you this a long time ago." I turned away, unable to look at her. I knew she was right, but I refused to accept it. Not yet.  
        She reached for my hand. "It doesn't have to be like this, Jack."  
        I glanced at her, and got lost in her face. She was so beautiful, but she was nothing but painful to be near.  _Why the fuck did it have to be her?_  
        The next thing I knew, my mask had been lifted, and my lips were pressed against hers. I cupped her face in my hands, but hers stayed tensely at her side. Her whole body rejected my kiss, but that wasn't the worst part.  
        She didn't pull away.  
       She seemed shocked and terrified, and I pulled away to stare into her "eyes", but they seemed to be lost in her memories. I had seen this look before, she was having a flashback.  
        "Reverie, please, show me what you're seeing. I have to know. She pointed her gaze back at me, and my current vision faded to black.

* * *

         _"Jack, I'm so sorry for your loss." my mother's friend said to me. She wore a police officer uniform, and she didn't seem at all sorry._  
        "I'm sure she's fine. She can't be.." I couldn't even finish my sentence.  
        "Jack, I don't think your little sister was not as strong as she wanted to seem. It's been days, and there has been no sign of her. She's only thirteen, dear. I think it's time to call off the search."  
        "No you can't!" I pleaded. "She's alive! I can feel it!"  
        "I'm sorry Jack." She stood from the table to leave.  
        Days later, I walked through the woods and stumbled upon a pentagram formed from rocks and candles. Blood stained the ground within the star, and I shuddered, but walked away from the site. I heard a twig crack behind me, and I instantly spun towards the noise. A little girl with light skin and blonde hair stood not twenty feet away from me. I couldn't see her face, but I could see enough to recognize my own little sister.  
        "Melanie!" I called. Suddenly, my eyes flew shut and I landed on my back. I tried to get up and open my eyes, but a rock pegged me right in the temple before I could do anything of the sort.

* * *

        "Melanie," I breathed. Tears streamed down her face as I said the word. I took her in, her pale face and silky platinum hair flooding my memories. "Oh my God, how could I not have known?"  
        Her mouth hung open as she obviously searched for the words.   
        "Melanie, oh my God!" I threw my arms around her, remembering everything. We had been so close! I had missed her so terribly. All this time I had mistaken this deep connection for romance-  
       _"Melanie, oh my God!"_ I gawked and released her, appalled at myself for chasing the heart of my little sister. "Holy shit, that changes everything!"  
        She was still in shock. "It  _explains_  everything." She laughed out loud. Disgust spread across her face. "Oh, my fucking God, dude, this is.."  
        "Gross?" I laughed, mortified. "Jesus, I am so sorry."  
        "We don't speak of it." she nodded at me.  
        "Agreed." I confirmed. I threw my arms around her again. "This is amazing."  
        She hugged me back hesitantly, but I could tell she had missed me too. "It is."  
        I laughed. "Okay, I revoke my former statement. But, I still love you. Just very,  _very_  differently."  
        She laughed along. "I love you too, Jack."  
        There was a knock at the door. "I'm coming in, dipshit!" Jeff called from the other side. He did as he had promised, and stood above us on the floor. "What's going on in here?"  
        I looked at him, then looked at Melanie, and then back at him. "Absolutely nothing."  
        Jeff suddenly appeared enraged. "If I find out that-"    
        "He's telling the truth, Jeffery." Melanie cut in. "There's no reason to be angry."  
        "Reverie, please, if there has been something going on up here, tell me, I don't want to have to be suspicious-"  
        "Suspicious? I couldn't cheat on you!" She stood to kiss him on the cheek. "Besides, that's my brother!" she patted him on the shoulder and walked out.  
        "Wait, what?" He started to follow her, but I caught his elbow.   
        "Hey, look, I'm sorry about all of this-"  
        "So you mean to tell me you two are related?"  
        "Yeah, we, uh, just kind of found out."  
        "I don't believe you."  
        "But you'll believe her, won't you?" I asked. He sighed and his expression softened. "She's telling the truth, and I swear, I am fully disgusted with myself for even thinking about her in the first place. You will not be having any more trouble from me in that department, I assure you."  
        He laughed condescendingly. "Good to hear." He started to leave, but I caught him again. He stared at me with that I-will-fucking-cut-you-if-you-do-so-much-as-breathe-on-me-right-now-face, but this time, I wasn't intimidated. Instead, I puffed out my chest and stared right back at him as if to assert my dominance.  
        "But I promise you this, Jeff the Killer: If you hurt my little sister, you will be in a world of pain."  
        "Is that a threat?" he challenged.  
        "It's a promise." I insisted. "But you don't want to hurt her, do you?"  
        He softened again. "No. No, I don't."  
        "Good. She doesn't deserve it."  
        "You're right about that."  
        I held out my hand for him to shake. He looked at it for a minute, but then he nodded and held out his own. We shook, and accepted a new respect for each other.

* * *

**Slenderman's Point of View**

        I was proud of her. She had unlocked her most prominent memories, but there were still many more for her to recover. All in good time, I suppose.  
        She called for me from her room, and I went to her. She sat unattended on her bed.   
        "Are you alright?" I inquired as she stood to greet me. She gazed up at my "face" for a moment before attaching herself to my waist.   
        "I'm swell." she replied warmly. "It's just that I'm so happy."  
        "Well that hardly seems like an issue, child."  
        "It isn't. But your're the closest thing to a father that I've had in a long time, and I wanted to share this moment with you." She beamed up at me.  
        I held her in return. If I could have smiled, I would have done it then. "Anything for you, my dear."          
        She pressed her face to my abdomen. "Thank you." she sniffled.  
        "For what, child?"  
        "For being here. You always have been, so thank you." I pet her head endearingly. She truly was like my own child. To see her grow up has been difficult, but beautiful nonetheless.   
        "It's been my blessing, child."  
        She smiled at me, her face dampened with tears of happiness. "Slenderman?"

  
        "Yes, child?"

  
        "What color were my eyes?" she asked curiously. "Were they pretty, like a smoky green color, or a glassy blue?"

        I possessed no real expression to show her, obviously, but when I lowered myself to face her and placed my hand on her shoulder, I know she could feel me smiling at her.

        "If memory serves, they were a very lovely brown."

        She sighed and let out a little laugh. "You know, I think I'm okay with that."


	23. Sequel

Hey, how's it going, y'all?

So that's all for this particular story. I really hope you liked it. It took me six months to write.

I just transferred here from Quotev, so this story was long done before it landed here. (It's actually been complete for like four months. Wow.)

I am still currently working on it's sequel, entitled "Cobwebs and Walls".

It's about nineteen chapters long as of today. God only knows when it's gonna be finished. 

I'm actually really proud of it so far, so if you liked this one, I highly encourage you to go check it out!

Here's the link:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11641380/chapters/26185251

 

Thanks a lot for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon!


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